Just in:
2024 Lok Sabha Elections Will Be The Costliest One Till Now In The Whole World // First-Ever Fortune Innovation Forum Draws Top Global Leaders to Hong Kong, Promoting Agendas On Collective Cross-Sector Advancement // German Job Market Resilience Bodes Well for Economic Recovery // Simplified Business Moves for Al Reem Island Firms // A Tightrope Saudi Walk Towards Net-Zero // Sharjah Chamber Breaks Ground on Final Expansion with New HQ Pact // French Leaders Gather for Interfaith Iftar Dinner // Digital Hub Unveiled: Xposure Launches Platform for Global Photography Community // Samsung Partners National Heritage Board to Bring a Slice of Singapore’s Cultural Heritage to Samsung The Frame TV // US reiterates concern over Kejriwal arrest, Cong accounts // CABSAT 2024 Ushers in 30 Years of Media Innovation // Following the Money Trail: US and UK Investigate $20 Billion in USDT Transfers Tied to Sanctioned Russian Exchange // Melco Style Presents “SANRIO CHARACTERS STUDIO CITY CARNIVAL” – Explore a SANRIO World of Unlimited Love and Cuteness // TUMI Hosts Global Launch Event in Singapore to Unveil Women’s Asra Collection and Announce Global Ambassador, Mun Ka Young // Experience Ultimate Shopping Freedom at 4.4 Shopee Spree: Don’t Worry, Shop Shopee! // U.S. Compliance Takes Center Stage at OKX Following Industry Jitters // Sunshine’s Debut Features Leave Tech World Scratching Its Head // New Nylon Constant Torque Hinge From Southco Provides Position Control In A Compact Package // Aid is at the core of Israel, Palestine struggle to control post-war Gaza // No running of govt from jail, says Delhi Lt Governor //
HomeMiddle EastA Quickly Stifled Attempt to Ease Suffering in Bahrain

A Quickly Stifled Attempt to Ease Suffering in Bahrain

Video | Bahrain: Our Oath Dr. Nada Dhaif helped create a medical tent to treat injured protesters in Bahrain’s Pearl Roundabout — and was sentenced to 15 years in jail.
By KAREEM FAHIM
June 7, 2015

The roundup of health workers who treated injured protesters set the tone for the furious and uncompromising reaction by Bahrain’s government to a popular uprising in 2011.

The authorities arrested doctors, nurses and others on charges ranging from violating medical neutrality to plotting to overthrow the government. Some of the health workers said they were tortured in prison, drawing outrage from medical groups around the world.

The arrests were part of a broader crackdown that started with the uprising, fueled by calls by the Shiite majority for greater political rights from the Sunni monarchy. Though the health workers were eventually released, after trials that lasted for months, their arrests were a measure of the deep schism in Bahrain’s society that has troubled the tiny island nation now for years.

ADVERTISEMENT

Since the revolt, Bahrain has settled into a seemingly inescapable, debilitating rhythm of repression and increasingly violent protests. When elections were finally held, they were boycotted by the opposition, deepening the impasse. Attention to the domestic conflict — commonly referred to as the forgotten revolt — waned as wars erupted around the region. Bahrain shored up support from allies abroad, including the Obama administration, by joining the international coalition against the Islamic State and, more recently, the Saudi Arabia-led coalition fighting the Houthi rebels in Yemen.

The government commissioned an independent report to address complaints about abuses by the authorities during the uprising, and said it has carried out important security and political reforms. Its critics have seen a different trend, of closer cooperation between Bahrain and other Persian Gulf monarchies using similar, repressive tactics to beat back what they view as common threats: from Iran, their rival in the region, but also from pro-democracy activists who challenged the power and legitimacy of their governments.

The authorities’ methods have remained essentially unchanged, even though their opponents are increasingly hemmed in. With Bahrain’s prisons full of opponents, a recent report by Human Rights Watch suggested that conditions had not improved much since 2011, when the health workers were locked up.

Inmates at Jaw Prison told Human Rights Watch that guards who responded to a bout of unrest at the prison kept them outdoors for weeks. At one point, the prisoners were made to “walk on their haunches in a circle,” the group said, while the guards doused them with cold water and forced them to chant pro-government slogans.

The Trials of Spring is a six-part series about women who played important roles in their countries during the Arab Spring. The series is presented by The New York Times in conjunction with a feature-length documentary produced by ZAG Line Pictures LLC in association with Fork Films, Artemis Rising Foundation and the Center for Independent Documentary. For more, visit thetrialsofspring.com.

This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service – if this is your content and you’re reading it on someone else’s site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers.

(via NY Times)

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT
Just in:
CABSAT 2024 Ushers in 30 Years of Media Innovation // New Nylon Constant Torque Hinge From Southco Provides Position Control In A Compact Package // Samsung Electronics Launches 2024 Neo QLED 8K, Neo QLED, and OLED Displays to Spark the AI Screen Era // No running of govt from jail, says Delhi Lt Governor // A Tightrope Saudi Walk Towards Net-Zero // US reiterates concern over Kejriwal arrest, Cong accounts // German Job Market Resilience Bodes Well for Economic Recovery // Simplified Business Moves for Al Reem Island Firms // TUMI Hosts Global Launch Event in Singapore to Unveil Women’s Asra Collection and Announce Global Ambassador, Mun Ka Young // Emirati Aid Reaches Ukraine as Food Shortages Bite // Digital Hub Unveiled: Xposure Launches Platform for Global Photography Community // Experience Ultimate Shopping Freedom at 4.4 Shopee Spree: Don’t Worry, Shop Shopee! // Melco Style Presents “SANRIO CHARACTERS STUDIO CITY CARNIVAL” – Explore a SANRIO World of Unlimited Love and Cuteness // Aid is at the core of Israel, Palestine struggle to control post-war Gaza // Octa seeks to clarify Forex swap and swap-free accounts // Sharjah Chamber Breaks Ground on Final Expansion with New HQ Pact // Andertoons by Mark Anderson for Fri, 29 Mar 2024 // Hong Kong Crypto Exchange Application Stalled by US Lawsuit // Global Audience to Witness Thrill of Dubai World Cup // Infineon and HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering jointly develop ship electrification technology //