Letter From Bahrain: 'Is Anyone Out There Listening?'

[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?

[bhikkhu]

1. After Iraq...

I can imagine being pretty gun-shy about getting in the middle of another Sunni-Shiite conflict.

And then too it would be impossible to support the Saudi royalty if we didn't support their neighbors in Bahrain...and the Saudi's, of course, are "too big to fail" for the world energy market. I know some people think the fight against Gadhafi is all about oil, but I think its rather the opposite - if that were important, he'd still be living it up without a care.

[potone]

2. I think it has more to do with our other military committments

What is going on in Bahrain is tragic, but between Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, and our drone attacks in Pakistan, there is not much more that we can take on militarily. But certainly the UN should do something.

[ctsnowman]

3. Thanks for the post.

Maybe they should tweet pics of their underwear...