Letter From Bahrain: 'Is Anyone Out There Listening?' [View All]

[Matilda]

A group of Bahraini doctors and nurses are on trial for treating protesters earlier this year. As harrowing stories of torture and forced confessions emerge, this open letter by a Bahraini doctor implores the international community to act

Yesterday the Bahraini authorities brought 47 medical staff to trial before a military tribunal, accusing them of trying to overthrow the government during pro-democracy protests in February — although the accused say they were merely doing their jobs by treating injured protesters.

After the hearing, the health workers — many of whom have been in detention for months — were allowed 10 minutes with relatives and friends, during which they told harrowing stories of being beaten in detention with hoses and wooden boards with nails, and made to eat faeces. As well, they said they had been deprived of sleep and made to stand for hours in order to coerce them into signing false confessions.

This open letter was written by a Bahraini doctor who attended yesterday’s hearing. The trial has been adjourned until 13 June.

http://newmatilda.com/2011/06/07/letter-bahrain-is-anyone-out-there-listening

The West is curiously silent about the atrocities being committed in Bahrain, which are certainly on a par with Syria and Libya. Could it have something to do with the fact that the U.S. Fifth Fleet is based there?