Bahraini court upholds jail terms against protesting medics

PanARMENIAN.Net - Bahrain's highest court on Monday, Oct 1, upheld jail terms issued against nine medics convicted for their role in last year's pro-democracy uprising, Reuters reported citing state news agency BNA.

The controversial case has drawn international criticism of the U.S.-allied Gulf Arab kingdom, which has been in turmoil since the protests led by its Shi'ite Muslim majority were crushed by the Sunni rulers.

Bahrain, home base for the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet, accuses regional Shi'ite power Iran of encouraging the unrest and has promised a tough response to violent protests as talks with the opposition have stalled.

BNA quoted Attorney General Abdul-Rahman al-Sayed as saying that Bahrain's Court of Cassation rejected all appeals presented by the defendants and confirmed the previous rulings of prison terms ranging between one month to five years.

In June, the appeals court sentenced Ali al-Ekry, former senior surgeon at the Salmaniya hospital in Manama, to five years in jail and gave eight others prison sentences ranging from one month to three years. It also acquitted nine others.

Two medics previously sentenced to 15 years each did not appeal and they are believed to be in hiding or to have left the country.

The doctors were released last year after an outcry over allegations of torture during detention.

Ekry, a senior orthopedic surgeon at Salmaniya who was convicted, among other charges, of inciting hatred and calling for the overthrow of Bahrain's rulers, said Monday's ruling might be politically motivated.

The doctors and nurses, who are all Shi'ites, say they were victimized for treating protesters and helping bring world attention to deaths caused by security forces.