Dr Nada Dhaif was among the first of those detained during the crackdown
With the first anniversary of the initial unrest in Bahrain fast approaching, Pat Kelly spoke with some of the medics who were detained and tortured and reports on some crucial developments both on the ground and here in Dublin.
Dr Bassim Dhaif, who trained at the RCSI in Dublin, has become one of the focal points for the support offered by the Irish medical community to their colleagues in Bahrain. The recent Bahrain International Commission of Inquiry (BICI) investigation confirmed the torture and mistreatment of detainees and a copy of Dr Dhaif’s original testimony to the BICI outlines the nature of the treatment he says was meted out to some of the doctors who became caught up in the conflict.
As the February 14 anniversary of the first protests in Bahrain approaches, the tension on the ground has become palpable as the security forces prepare for mass demonstrations to mark the date. Also, in a highly significant event, the five Irish-trained doctors who were detained appeared in a Bahraini court on Monday, February 1.
As previously reported, these doctors — Dr Bassim Dhaif, Dr Ghassan Dhaif, Dr Ali Al Ekri, Dr Ahmed Al Omran, and Dr Zahra Al Sammak — were sentenced by a military court to terms of imprisonment of up to 15 years. While they fully expected these sentences to be annulled by the civilian court, the opposite happened, as the court ruled that the original proceedings were fully constitutional, effective legitimising the original sentences handed down.
Cases adjourned
Their cases had been adjourned until March, but the doctors received unexpected telephone calls ordering them to appear on February 1. Having heard the cases from lawyers on both sides, the judge once again adjourned the hearing until February 27, at which point the Bahraini government will bring in forensic specialists from the University of Bahrain and the Ministry of Health, as well as witnesses for the prosecution.
The dozens of medics who have been charged have been divided into two groups: those who have been accused of felonies, and those who have been accused of misdemeanours. Despite the arrests of these medics, reports indicate that a military presence remains in and around Salmaniya Hospital.
To add to the tension, news broke at time of writing that approximately 250 prisoners had begun a widespread national hunger strike in support of 14 human rights leaders who initiated their own hunger strikes in protest at human rights violations.
In an effort to raise awareness and to engender support for the doctors and civilians caught up in the crackdown, a new organisation has now been set up. The Bahrain Rehabilitation Anti-Violence Organisation (BRAVO) was established from Dublin amid fears that a non-governmental foundation in Bahrain might be deemed an illegal organisation and be stamped out before it had the chance to develop.
Dr Nabeel Tammam: 'We believe the government of Bahrain has breached the principle of medical neutrality'
Tara O’Grady is a Human Rights and Social Media Activist and one of the founding members of BRAVO. She has been following the plight of the medics in Bahrain and told IMT that new arrests had been made recently.
Tara O'Grady, one of the BRAVO founders
According to O’Grady, many of the hospital doctors in Bahrain have been told not to take leave of absence in February and March, as she says there is a major security crackdown expected. She also referred to what she described as “mercenaries” from India and Pakistan who are applying to join the Bahraini security forces.
“The regime is now experienced in dealing with unrest,” said O’Grady, “We only know of one journalist who is there now on a three-day visa and she is in hiding. So despite the BICI report, it’s not ‘business as usual’ — it’s worse than business as usual.”
Dr Nabil Tammam was Chief ENT Surgeon with the Bahrain Ministry of Health and is one of those who falls into the ‘misdemeanour’ category in terms of charges. He has now been suspended from practice and, as he is currently undergoing treatment for Hodgkin’s lymphoma, he was released from a Bahraini prison after three days — a release which he claims was subject to a payment of 3,000 Bahraini dinars, or the equivalent of approximately US$10,000. While he says the payment and his ill health secured his release, he is still prevented from leaving the country.
Dr Tammam was one of the doctors who met with the delegation led by Prof Damian McCormack and Prof Eoin O’Brien that visited Bahrain to investigate first-hand the plight of the detainees.
“We believe that we have done our duty by treating injured protestors and we believe the government of Bahrain has breached the principle of medical neutrality, ratified by the Geneva Convention,” Dr Tammam told IMT.
“We are disappointed by the lack of support from the governments of the US and the UK, but in terms of international NGOs, including human rights defenders in Dublin, they have been very supportive throughout, especially the Irish delegates. I couldn’t believe it when Prof McCormack and his delegation left all their commitments and came over here to try to help us.”
He explained that a representative of the BICI had arrived back in Bahrain the day before he spoke to IMT: “I don’t know why he is back. I’m sure he will meet the King and today, he has met the committee formed by the government to study the recommendations of the BICI and he will meet political representatives of the opposition parties on Friday. People like myself in NGOs, academics, teachers and so on are trying hard to arrange an appointment to see him and ask him why the Bahrain government is not implementing [the] BICI’s clear-cut recommendations,” said Dr Tammam.
Dr Nada Dhaif, a doctor who was among those detained during the crackdown, has taken on the role of Chairperson of BRAVO in Bahrain. Speaking to IMT, the oral and dental surgeon — the first female doctor to be arrested following the involvement of Saudi troops — outlined her own traumatic experiences: “My house was raided while my children and I were asleep at about 3am. There were 20-plus people in civilian clothes with masks; I thought at first I was being kidnapped. I was back-handcuffed immediately and blindfolded and after I was put into a car, they started threatening me immediately. No matter how many questions I asked them about who they were and where they were taking me, all I received in reply were threats.”
Dr Nada Dhaif with her daughters
Dr Dhaif was then taken to a room where, by her estimation, there were approximately 14 men and one woman. “I was beaten, cursed, spat at, kicked and electrocuted in that first session. Then I was kept in solitary confinement for about 22 days… the mental and psychological pain I suffered during that time was unbearable, as well as the physical torture. They would just walk into my cell, tell me to face the wall and beat me while they cursed me, my family and my religion. For about 10 days my husband didn’t even know where I was.”
She explained that despite one of her brothers being an army captain and the other a judge, they could not initially ascertain here whereabouts. As for her initial charge, despite the fact that Dr Dhaif had her own private practice and had never worked in Salmaniya Hospital, she was arrested on the basis of an accusation that she occupied the facility. “I think the reason for this is that I helped in the medical tent at Pearl Roundabout. That is not against the law, so I was just charged with occupying the hospital.”
Dr Dhaif went on to speak about the idea behind BRAVO. “After that horrible experience, the trauma of it made me realise that we don’t have a specialist organisation or even a PTSD [post-traumatic stress disorder] doctor in Bahrain,” she told IMT. “Then I began thinking about the numbers of people who would come out of jail with similar experiences. So to relieve my own pain and redirect my pain and energy from this terrible experience and to help people, the idea of BRAVO came about. The Irish doctors were amazing — they were really the first group who reacted to our ordeals and when I thought of the idea of BRAVO, Prof McCormack and his colleagues were there and they supported us.”
She concluded that beyond physical and psychological support, BRAVO will aim to provide avenues to justice for torture victims. “That’s the role of the legal team,” she said. “They will report and document cases, and together we will help people to rebuild their lives, their reputations, their honour and their dignity. That’s what BRAVO is all about.”
Martial law
Dr Bassim Dhaif explained that the predicament himself and his fellow doctors awaiting trial now face has become exponentially more serious, because the hearing of February 1 convinced him that the government was serious about pursuing him and his colleagues with full vigour. “There was a session of the Constitutional Court to decide whether martial law applied back in March. The court decided that the application of martial law at that time was constitutional and therefore the military trial was deemed constitutional, so the trials must continue. Now they say they are going to introduce witnesses and we have no idea who these people are and when they are going to appear.”
He pointed out that the BICI report confirmed that all of the medics on trial had been subjected to physical and psychological torture and that, despite thorough physical investigation by the independent BICI medics, the court has ordered that the medics on trial must now be examined once again by government representatives. “Over a period of months, our lawyers have made numerous requests to the court — for example, to bring those BICI reports to the court — and not one single request has been granted so far. The whole world knows that the Bahraini government has been put in a difficult position with these trials and they can’t back down now and say, ‘oh, we were wrong’. So in my opinion, they are trying to get a political solution to this while at the same time showing the world that they are serious about prosecuting us.”
Dr Bassim Dhaif: 'I have to treat people who are injured and if I was put in the same situation again, I would do exactly the same thing'
Dr Dhaif claimed that aside from the detention of doctors, thousands of civilians had been detained because of security operations and he feared for their safety also: “The situation on the ground here is extremely volatile and it’s like a nightmare,” he concluded.
While he is thankful to be now released, he and his colleagues feel tremendous uncertainty in terms of their freedom, their future and their very lives.
“But as a senior surgeon, I have to treat people who are injured and if I was put in the same situation again, I would do exactly the same thing.”