<h1 class="post-title">Bahrain: health workers convicted to prison sentences</h1>         

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<p>Thursday, 29 November 2012 21:13</p>
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<p>On 21 November, 23 <a class="zem_slink" title="Health care provider" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_provider" target="_blank" rel="wikipedia">health professionals</a> in Bahrain were sentenced to three months in <a class="zem_slink" title="Prison" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prison" target="_blank" rel="wikipedia">prison</a> on charges of illegally gathering during <a class="zem_slink" title="Arab Spring" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arab_Spring" target="_blank" rel="wikipedia">Arab spring protests</a> in 2011. Five others were acquitted.</p>

<p>Richard Sollom, deputy director of <a class="zem_slink" title="Physicians for Human Rights" href="http://physiciansforhumanrights.org/" target="_blank" rel="homepage">Physicians for Human Rights</a> said: “We are disappointed, though not surprised, that the <a class="zem_slink" title="Bahrain" href="http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=26.0275,50.55&spn=10.0,10.0&q=26.0275,50.55%20%28Bahrain%29&t=h" target="_blank" rel="geolocation">Bahraini</a>
 regime once again has decided to punish health professionals merely for
 expressing their right to peaceful assembly. Instead of punishing these
 dedicated professionals, the Government of Bahrain should focus on 
prosecuting the people responsible for torturing many of those who were 
arrested and detained.”</p>
<p>The 23 people <a class="zem_slink" title="Conviction" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conviction" target="_blank" rel="wikipedia">convicted</a>
 today include 12 physicians, as well as nurses and other health 
professionals. All are expected to appeal their convictions. Four other 
health professionals whose appeals were denied in October are already 
serving sentences ranging from one to five years.</p>
<p>Last year, a <a class="zem_slink" title="Royal Commission" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Commission" target="_blank" rel="wikipedia">Commission of Inquiry</a> established by the King of Bahrain to investigate charges of <a class="zem_slink" title="Human rights" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_rights" target="_blank" rel="wikipedia">human rights abuses</a>,
 recommended that the government review and commute the sentences of all
 persons charged with offenses involving peaceful political expression 
and to drop any outstanding charges against them. However, the court did
 not follow this advice.</p>
<p>“None of these health professionals belongs in prison,” said Sollom. 
“Once again, we call on the regime to reverse the convictions of all 
health professionals, to expunge those convictions from their records, 
to restore them to their jobs, and to compensate them for the time they 
lost in having to challenge these spurious charges.”</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://physiciansforhumanrights.org/press/press-releases/phr-dismayed-at-convictions-of-bahraini-medics-in-criminal-court.html" target="_blank">Physicians for Human Rights website</a></p>