Bahrain medics to begin jail terms over protests Detainee dies of illness: interior ministry

DUBAI, Oct 2, (AFP): Six Bahraini medics were jailed on Tuesday, a day after their conviction in connection with last year’s anti-regime protests were upheld by the kingdom’s highest court, lawyers said.
The medics, who were on bail, were among 20 doctors and nurses who worked at the Salmaniya Medical Complex in Manama during the predominantly Shiite uprising against the kingdom’s ruling Sunni dynasty in February 2011.
They include consultant orthopaedic surgeon Ali Alekri, who was sentenced to five years, and senior nurse, Ibrahim Damastani, who received three years.
Both men were convicted of possessing a non-firearm weapon and of illegal assembly.
The remaining four medics were found guilty of illegal assembly and inciting hatred, and were handed sentences ranging from two months to one year.
Three other medics’ convictions were also upheld by the high court Monday, but so far there has been no news of their being taken into custody.
All 20 were first charged and convicted by a quasi-military court formed in the aftermath of the government’s brutal crackdown on the protests in March 2011.
Many initially received harsh sentences of up to 15 years.
Nine of them were acquitted by a lower appeals court in June.
Many of the 20 medics — 15 of whom are doctors — alleged they were tortured in prison.
Earlier this month, the public prosecutor’s office charged seven policemen with torture and maltreatment of the medics, all of whom are Shiite.
The authorities say they are implementing the recommendations of an independent commission of inquiry ordered by the king that confirmed allegations of excessive use of force by security forces during the protests.
International rights groups continue to accuse the Gulf kingdom of failing to implement sufficient reforms.
A young Bahraini jailed for taking part in anti-government protests last year died in custody on Tuesday after being taken to hospital for treatment of a hereditary disease, the interior ministry said.
The interior ministry said on Twitter that Mohammed Mushaima, who was serving a prison term, was pronounced dead at a government hospital, where he was admitted on Aug 29 “for treatment from sickle-cell anaemia.”
The major Bahraini opposition bloc Al-Wefaq confirmed Mushaima’s death, saying he “passed away in custody today (Tuesday) while serving a seven-year sentence for participating in pro-democracy demonstrations.”
Lawyers said they had asked the court earlier to release 24-year-old Shiite Mushaima due to his “bad” health, but the court rejected their request.
Sickle-cell anaemia, a genetic disorder in which red blood cells form an abnormal sickle shape, is an inherited illness common in Bahrain where the marriage of close relatives is frequent.
Several other anti-regime activists have died of the disease while in custody, according to the government, including two in April 2011, prompting Human Rights Watch to call for an investigation.
In September of last year, the authorities said another man, whom the opposition claimed died after being tear-gassed, had passed away due to “acute respiratory” problems resulting from sickle-cell anemia.
In August, Bahrain opened a sickle-cell clinic at the government-owned Salmaniya Medical Complex which announced Mushaima’s death on Tuesday.
Thousands of people, mostly from the majority Shiite population, took to the streets last year to call for reforms in the kingdom ruled by the Sunni Al-Khalifa dynasty.
The kingdom has continued to witness sporadic demonstrations, mostly outside the capital, since it crushed the protest movement in a bloody crackdown in March last year.