By Tyler Yates
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

MANAMA, Bahrain — The Bahraini government is continuing its prosecution of a group of medics who treated wounded protesters during an Arab Spring inspired uprising last year.  The continuation of the internationally criticized high profile case comes despite a statement from the prosecutor suggesting that most of the charges would be dropped.

Last week it was announced that charges would only be pursued against five of the 20 medics that are involved in the case.  The other medics’ cases would be sent to a professional tribunal.

So far none of the charges have been dropped, and there has been no pronouncement as to why.

There appears to be some problem within the Bahraini government as to the policy that should be applied.

“It looks like various people are making decisions in the Bahrain government without an agreed policy. What’s happening with the medics smells of incoherence and incompetence,” said Brian Dooley of the US-based Human Rights First.

The prosecution has inspired a lot of international ire, as rights groups claim that the medics are being punished for helping civilians who had been attacked by state security forces during anti-government demonstrations.

This case is technically a retrial.  The original trial took place in a military court where the medics received jail terms of up to 15 years on charges including incitement to overthrow the government and attempting to occupy a hospital.

Some of those charged are said to have taken part in a protest inside the Salmaniya hospital.  Government witnesses claim that there was a plan to stockpile weapons inside the hospital and take hostages.

The prosecution of these medics is just one portion of a larger story.  There is currently a push in Bahrain for injured protesters to seek out underground medics rather than risk hospitals.

Police have been setting up shop in hospitals to interrogate the admitted injured. Some reports talk of interrogations happening in circumstances where the injured was barely conscious or unaware of their situation.

Sixteen-year-old Mohammed al-Jaziri was seriously injured when he was struck in the face with a tear gas canister on February 18.  He was taken to the hospital, where, within ten minutes of arriving, police attempted to interrogate him despite the fact that he was heavily bleeding.  Throughout the night, the police repeatedly attempted to interrogate Mohammed, even though he was only semi-conscious.  His brother, Hussein, begged the police to leave him alone, but the next day Mohammed was subjected to a three-hour interrogation by a public prosecutor who refused to identify himself.

The treatment of patients like Mohammed has led many protesters and their families to distrust hospitals.

Last month Bahrain’s National Health Regulatory Authority issued a warning to all private hospitals and clinics.  It said: “Providers must report cases with injuries due to suspected criminal activities irrespective of their causes to concerned authorities.” The letter added that failure to do so “constituted collaboration and is criminalized by law”.

While reporting criminal behavior is a norm in many societies, in Bahrain, where the act of going out and protesting is a crime, the repercussions are more severe.

“Calling for freedom and democracy in the streets makes me a criminal in Bahrain,” says Zainab al-Khawaja, a veteran human rights campaigner.

If an individual is injured during the protests they are likely to face interrogation and the possibility of criminal charges if they seek medical aid in a hospital.

This had led to a noticeable decline in the number of people being admitted into emergency rooms.  Some estimates show that admittances have been halved since the protests began in February 2011.

While the number of people seeking aid from hospitals has decreased, all signs show that violence between protesters and the police is escalating, and so is the number of injuries.

The need for non-hospital medical care has led many medics to begin practicing underground medicine on the side, despite the risks of facing criminal charges themselves.

For more information, please see:

RT — Bahrain retries convicted protest doctors — 23 Mar. 2012

Al-Jazeera — Bahrain to go ahead with medics trial — 21 Mar. 2012

International Business Times — Bahrain Pushing the Trial of Medics Who Treated Protesters — 21 Mar. 2012

Chicago Tribune — Bahrain to push on with medics trial, not drop cases — 20 Mar. 2012

BBC — Bahrain’s ‘underground medics’ secretly treat injured protesters — 24 Feb. 2012

 

By Carolyn Abdenour
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

BAKU, Azerbaijan – On Thursday, 22 March, international rights advocates condemned Azerbaijani authorities for detaining two rock musicians for criticizing President Ilham Aliyev and his deceased mother on Saturday, 17 March, during a concert at an opposition rally in Baku, the country’s capital.  This police action raises doubts about Azerbaijan’s suitability to host the Eurovision Song Contest this May.

When an unidentified man attacked the band Bulistan after singer Jamal Ali used harsh language, the police arrested 24-year old Ali, bass player Natig Kamilov, and protest planner Etibar Salmanli.   The police detained and supposedly tortured the musicians and Mr. Salmanli, who tried to separate the fighters.

The men were charged with “petty hooliganism.”  A court sentenced Mr. Ali to 10 days of administrative detention, Mr. Kamilov to 6 days, and Mr. Salmanli to 5 days.  The men remained detained in a district police station where the alleged beating occurred rather than a special detention facility.

At their closed hearing, the musicians asserted the police denied them contact with their lawyers and families while in detention.  Yesterday, the appellate court upheld the men’s sentences.

Anar Gasimli, the musician’s attorney, reported that the police beat his clients upon arrest and at the police station.  The authorities also prevented Mr. Gasimli from private and timely consultation with his clients before the hearing.

The judge requested the district prosecutor investigate the torture claims after seeing Mr. Ali’s facial bruises, large bump on his nose, and several scratches on his forehead.  Although Mr. Kamilov stated the police beat him until he became unconscious and witnesses told HRW the police dragged him by his hair, the court denied his request for an investigation.

Mr. Gasimli stated that due to public holidays in Azerbaijan this week, “the prosecutors are not conducting an investigation” of the beatings.

Azerbaijan received the privilege of hosting Eurovision after its singers Ell and Nikki won last year’s contest.  Local campaigners hope the media addresses claims that the oil-rich country violates freedom of speech and civil rights while broadcasting the competition.  The government plans to have the contest highlights its economic growth.  The nation has spent millions of dollars as an investment that the event runs smoothly.

Yesterday, Human Rights Watch (“HRW”) and Amnesty International requested the government investigate the brutality allegations.   John Dalhuisenm, Amnesty International’s Director for Europe and Central Asia, said, “It’s deeply ironic that only two month before Baku takes the world stage for the Eurovision, Azerbaijani authorities are using force to break up and silence musicians performing at a peaceful protest.”

For further information, please see:

AFP – Rights Groups Slam Azerbaijan Rock Band Arrests – 22 Mar 2012

Belfast Telegraph – Azerbaijan Warms Up For Eurovision By Torturing Musicians – 22 Mar 2012

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty – Azerbaijani Court Upholds Jail Sentence For Rock Star – 22 Mar 2012

Alert Net – Azerbaijan: Investigate Alleged Ill-Treatment By Police – 21 Mar 2012