Monday, June 06, 2011

Bahrain Shiite Medics Claim They Were Tortured as Trail [sic] Opens

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Shiite medics on trial in Bahrain for involvement in anti-regime protests charged on Monday that they were tortured to sign false confessions, family members said.

The medics told their families and lawyers after a hearing at a special court that they had been "subjected to physical and psychological torture to extract confessions," a relative said.

They were also tortured to "force them to sign statements that contained untrue accusations," a relative added, requesting anonymity.

The medics appeared in the court set up under emergency laws decreed by King Hamad in mid-March on the eve of an all-out crackdown on Shiites who led a month of pro-democracy protests.

A total of 24 doctors and 23 nurses working at Salmaniya hospital were in May referred to the court on a number of charges.

BNA state news agency said Monday that 20 of the defendants, including four women, were accused of possessing non-licenced arms, occupying the hospital, seizing medical equipment and calling for regime change. » | Monday, June 06, 2011