Human rights organizations protest against the re-arrest of medical professionals in Bahrain
Update - 03 Oct 2012
GCHR: Bahrain: Six medical professionals arrested and imprisoned for the legitimate exercise of their profession
The Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR) expresses serious concern at the sentencing, arrest and detention of Dr. Ali Al-Ekri, Mr. Ibrahim Al-Demistani Dr. Ghassan Dhaif, Dr. Saeed Al-Samahiji, Dr. Mahmoud Asghar, Ms. Dheya Ibrahim Abu Idris, Dr Ahmed Al-Mushtat and Dr Hassan Matooq. The GCHR believes that the charges against them are unfounded and are directly related to the legitimate exercise of their profession and their right to freedom f expression.
02 Oct 2012
Amnesty Int'l: Six Bahraini medics arrested over pro-reform role
“Today's imprisonment once again marks the lack of any real commitment from Bahrain's government to be held accountable and deliver true justice for victims of human rights violations,” said Ann Harrison, Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa Deputy Programme Director. "Despite the government’s claims that the medics committed a criminal offence, Amnesty International believes they have been jailed solely for peacefully exercising their legitimate rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly and therefore they should be immediately and unconditionally released.”
Amnesty Int'l: Bahrain must quash convictions of protest medics
“With today’s verdict, the Bahraini government has shown once more it is not serious about human rights and accountability for past violations,” said Ann Harrison, Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa Deputy Programme Director.
“The convictions against these doctors and nurses must be quashed immediately and all charges against them relating to their role in last year’s pro-reform demonstrations must be dropped.”
PHR Calls Imprisonment of Medical Professionals “a Black Day for Bahrain”
PHR emphatically deplores the imprisonment today of six Bahraini medical professionals convicted as a result of caring for injured protesters last year.
“It’s a black day for Bahrain when it imprisons physicians and other medical professionals whose only ‘crime’ was to carry out their ethical duty to care for sick and wounded people,” said Richard Sollom, PHR’s deputy director. “Sadly, these medics have now joined the ranks of other prisoners of conscience unjustly locked up in Bahrain and elsewhere around the world.”
HRF: Nine Medic Convictions Upheld in Bahrain
“Today was another moment of truth for the Bahrain regime, one it again failed miserably,” said Human Rights First’s Brian Dooley, who was in one of the appeal court hearings with the medics in March 2012. “These medics are going to prison for treating the injured and for telling the world about the regime’s crackdown. This isn’t the kind of progress that the Kingdom keeps promising the world is under way.”