# Bahraini Medics' Trial Postponed



## Steam Engine (Dec 9, 2011)

URGENT ACTION APPEAL
- From Amnesty International USA

To learn about recent Urgent Action successes and updates, go to 
http://www.amnestyusa.org/iar/success 
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For a print-friendly version of this Urgent Action (PDF):
http://www.amnestyusa.org/actioncenter/actions/uaa29611.pdf

Note: Please write on behalf of these persons even though you may not have received the original UA when issued on September 9, 2011. Thanks!

Further information on UA: 296/11 (20 September 2011) and follow-ups (7 October 2011 and 25 October 2011) 
Issue Date: 8 December 2011
Country: Bahrain

MEDICS' APPEAL POSTPONED UNTIL 9 JANUARY
The appeal hearing before a civilian court of 20 Bahraini health professionals sentenced by a military court has been postponed until 9 January. 

The 20 health professionals were sentenced on 29 September 2011 to between five and 15 years in prison, by a military court, in connection with popular anti-government protests in February and March. On 28 November they attended the second hearing of their appeal before the High Criminal Court of Appeal. An Amnesty International delegation was present in court, as were delegations of other NGOs and foreign media.

The 20 continue to face other charges, including: "possession of unlicensed weapons", "occupation of a public building" (Salmaniya Medical Complex in Manama, Bahrain's capital), and "calling for the overthrow of the regime by force". On 28 November the prosecution presented some weapons, including knives, chains, swords, two Kalashnikov rifles and ammunition as incriminating evidence, but did not explain how those weapons had reportedly been used or how they were linked to any defendant. These weapons had not been produced by the Military Prosecution during the trial before the National Safety Court. The prosecution intended to play a DVD in court with testimonies of some witnesses accusing the doctors, but the defense lawyers objected and told the court that they too had documentary evidence to support their case, which should be heard at the same time. The court agreed that both defense and prosecution should be able to provide their evidence in the next hearing on 9 January. The defense lawyers also complained about the fact that the weapons were presented in court without having been listed in any record and there seemed to be a discrepancy between the number of bullets presented in court and the number the prosecution had said it would present. 

The hearing has been postponed to 9 January and the defense lawyers have asked the court to lift the travel ban imposed on most of the doctors, to investigate allegations of torture used against the defendants, to allow defendants to be reinstated in their jobs, to allow lawyers to use the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry report in their defense and to be given a list of the weapons presented as evidence by the prosecution. 

Please write immediately in English, Arabic or your own language:
-Urge the Bahraini authorities to ensure that the appeal complies with international standards for fair trial; 
-Express concern that if imprisoned, the defendants may be prisoners of conscience imprisoned solely on account of peacefully exercising their rights to freedom of expression and assembly;
-Urge them to launch immediately an independent and impartial investigation into the alleged torture or other ill-treatment of some of the defendants, publish its results and bring anyone found responsible to justice.

PLEASE SEND APPEALS BEFORE 19 JANUARY 2012 TO:
King
Shaikh Hamad bin 'Issa Al Khalifa 
Office of His Majesty the King 
P.O. Box 555 
Rifa'a Palace, al-Manama
BAHRAIN 
Fax: 011 973 176 64 587
Salutation: Your Majesty

Prime Minister
Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa 
Office of the Prime Minister 
P.O. Box 1000, al-Manama
BAHRAIN
Fax: 011 973 175 33 033 
Salutation: Your Highness

Minister of Justice and Islamic Affairs
Shaikh Khalid bin Ali bin Abdullah Al Khalifa 
Ministry of Justice and Islamic Affairs 
P.O. Box 13, al-Manama 
BAHRAIN
Fax: 011 973 175 31 284
Salutation: Your Excellence 

Also send copies to:
Ambassador Houda Ezra Ebrahim Nonoo
Embassy of the Kingdom of Bahrain
3502 International Drive. NW
Washington DC 20008
Tel: 202 342 1111
Fax: 1 202 362 2192
Email: ambsecretary@bahrainembassy.org 

Please check with the AIUSA Urgent Action Office if sending appeals after the above date.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
The 20 health professionals on trial and sentenced on 29 September are among 48 health professionals from the Salmaniya Medical Complex who were arrested in March and April 2011. Some of them had been vocal in giving interviews to foreign journalists and accusing the government of abuses against protesters. All were held incommunicado for several weeks. In most cases their families did not know their whereabouts for most of this time and were only allowed to see them during the first session of their trial before the National Safety Court of First Instance, a military court, which started on 6 June. The 48 were split into two groups on 13 June: 20 of them were accused of felonies, while the rest were accused of misdemeanors (less serious offenses). Many of them started hunger strike in protest at their detention and trial and were gradually released on bail in August and September 2011. 

Thirteen of the medics - 'Ali 'Esa Mansoor al-'Ekri, Nader Mohammed Hassan Dewani, Ahmed 'Abdulaziz Omran Hassan, Mahmood Asghar 'Abdulwahab,'Abdulkhaleq 'Ali Hussain al-'Oraibi, Ghassan Ahmed 'Ali Dhaif, Bassim Ahmed 'Ali Dhaif, Ebrahim 'Abdullah Ebrahim, Sayed Marhoon Majid al-Wedaei, Roula Jassim Mohammed al-Saffar, Nada Sa'eed 'Abdelnabi Dhaif , 'Ali Hassan al-Sadadi and Qassim Mohammad 'Omran - were sentenced to 15 years in prison. Hassan Mohammed Sa'eed Nasser and Sa'eed Mothaher Habib Al Samahiji were sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment. Fatima Salman Hassan Haji , Dhia Ibrahim Ja'far , Najah Khalil Ibrahim Hassan, Zahra Mahdi al-Sammak and Mohammed Faeq 'Ali Al Shehab were sentenced to five years in prison. All of them are now released on bail.

On 29 June, the King decreed that all cases linked to the February-March 2011 protests would be transferred to ordinary civilian courts; he then issued a further decree on 18 August (Decree 28/20011) ordering that the National Safety Court of First Instance continue to deal with felony (serious criminal) cases, while misdemeanor (less serious) cases would be referred to civilian courts. In early October trials before these courts stopped and since then all trials have been heard before civilian courts.

The Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI) was established by Royal Decree on 29 June to investigate abuses during the March/February protests and other abuses in the following months. The full report was published on 23 November. 

Hundreds of cases were covered in the report, including beatings of protesters by security forces, mass arbitrary arrests of mainly Shi'a opposition activists and widespread torture, with five deaths resulting from torture in custody. In all, at least 46 people have died in connection with the protests, including five security personnel. The report urged the Bahraini government to immediately establish an independent body made up of representatives of civil society, the opposition and the government; to oversee the implementation of the BICI's recommendations; to usher in legislative reforms to ensure laws are in line with international human rights standards; and to bring to account those responsible for abuses.

Name(s): 'Ali 'Esa Mansoor al-'Ekri (m), Nader Mohammed Hassan Dewani (m), Ahmed 'Abdulaziz Omran Hassan (m), Mahmood Asghar 'Abdulwahab (m), 'Abdulkhaleq 'Ali Hussain al-'Oraibi (m), Ghassan Ahmed 'Ali Dhaif (m), Bassim Ahmed 'Ali Dhaif (m), Ebrahim 'Abdullah Ebrahim (m);, Sayed Marhoon Majid al-Wedaei (m); Roula Jassim Mohammed al-Saffar (f), Nada Sa'eed 'Abdelnabi Dhaif (f) , 'Ali Hassan al-Sadadi (m), Qassim Mohammad 'Omran (m) Hassan Mohammed Sa'eed Nasser (m), Sa'eed Mothaher Habib Al Samahiji (m), Fatima Salman Hassan Haji (f), Dhia Ibrahim Ja'far (f), Najah Khalil Ibrahim Hassan (f), Zahra Mahdi al-Sammak (f) and Mohammed Faeq 'Ali Al Shehab (m) 
Issue(s): Legal concern
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This Urgent Action may be reposted if kept intact, including contact information and stop action date (if applicable). Thank you for your help with this appeal.

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END OF URGENT ACTION APPEAL


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## mycrofft (Dec 9, 2011)

*This is why contract work is soooo appealing.*

In Syria, ad hoc casualty collection points were targeted by troops with gunfire and riot gas. And, as we demonstrated i Vietnam, high concentrations of riot gas in enclosed areas is lethal.

Is there a rule of thumb that societies which cannot provide enough of their own practitioners will not value those from outside, and will have human rights issues?


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