Support Bahrain\u2019s imprisoned doctors
\nby Fiona Godlee, editor, BMJ – fgodlee@bmj.com – 7-Oct.2011<\/p>\n
Many of you will have been following the fate of the 20 Bahraini doctors and other health professionals caught up in the prodemocracy demonstrations in February. After being arrested and in some cases tortured, the doctors were then put through what Amnesty International has called a \u201csham\u201d trial, and despite international pressure on Bahrain\u2019s government, they were last week given \u201cludicrous\u201d sentences of up to 15 years (doi:10.1136\/bmj.d6336). Another 27 health professionals are facing lesser charges and awaiting verdicts.<\/p>\n
Charged with playing a key role in inciting hatred of the regime, distributing false news, and refusing to treat Sunni patients, the doctors say they have been persecuted for treating wounded anti-government protestors. Most of them worked at Bahrain\u2019s only major medical centre, which became the epicentre of the unrest. The doctors deny sectarian bias in treating patients.<\/p>\n
News of the sentences has caused outrage among medical and human rights groups. In what Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) calls \u201cthe most extreme violations of medical neutrality in the past half century,\u201d commentators from around the world agree that the doctors are being punished for doing what international codes of medical ethics require\u2014treating all patients regardless of their political, ethnic, or religious allegiance (doi:10.1136\/bmj.d2768). In light of the events in Bahrain, PHR has called on the United Nations Human Rights Council to appoint a special rapporteur on medical neutrality.
\n
\nThe BMA has been among those working to convince Bahrain\u2019s government of the need for fair judicial process and respect for medical ethics (http:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2011\/09\/20\/vivienne-nathanson-and-eleanor-chrispin-bahrain-on-trial\/). In a letter to the Guardian newspaper, Hamish Meldrum, chairman of BMA Council, expresses \u201cin the strongest possible terms [the BMA\u2019s] deep concerns\u201d at what he calls a politically motivated trial (www.guardian.co.uk\/world\/2011\/sep\/30\/deep-concern-over-bahrain-medics?INTCMP=SRCH).<\/p>\n
But confident in the support of its powerful ally Saudi Arabia, Bahrain has so far felt able to ignore such approaches. And the restrained response from the UK\u2019s foreign secretary\u2014\u201cthese sentences appear disproportionate\u201d\u2014will have done little to change this. But a recent article in the Economist reminds us of another route (www.economist.com\/node\/21529019). \u201cPromoting human rights in thick-skinned countries is not a hopeless cause,\u201d it says. \u201cAll tyrants want things from the West\u2014from a haven for their ill-gotten gains to recreation for their families. When access to these goodies is withdrawn it can send a powerful signal.\u201d The examples it gives are cancellation of fashion shows and rock concerts and withdrawal of banking services.<\/p>\n
How can medical professionals send this sort of powerful signal to Bahrain? I don\u2019t have an immediate answer, but I\u2019m pleased to report that the BMJ Group has stopped all dealings with the Bahraini government since the uprising in February. You may know of other similar actions, in which case we would like to hear about them. Meanwhile we remain deeply concerned about the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland\u2019s continuing close links with Bahrain\u2019s government, as reported by Sophie Arie in May (doi:10.1136\/bmj.d3259) and evident on the college\u2019s website (www.rcsi.ie\/). Unless the college wants to open itself to charges of complicity, the president should clarify his position as a matter of urgency. …source<\/a><\/p>\n