Bahrain free speech and reform – Prison for participating in “hateful”, “chants, “slogans”,

Bahrain puts doctors on trial
Joshua Colangelo-Bryan – 1 June, 2012 – Global Post

Hassan Mushaima, another opposition leader given a life term, had advocated “marches, demonstrations and civil disobedience” to call for the “establishment of a democratic republic,” according to the verdict. The court sentenced Ali Abduleman, a prominent blogger, to five years in prison (in absentia) even though its verdict did not cite a single piece of evidence against him.

The special military courts also convicted 20 doctors and medical personnel of transparently political offenses, such as joining in “slogans and chants” that expressed “hatred and contempt for the governing regime.” Nada Dhaif, an oral surgeon, was sentenced to 15 years because she participated in a sit-in, took part in an International Women’s Day march, and assisted with a medical tent that treated protesters. Deya Ja’far, a nurse, was convicted in part because she allegedly stepped on a photograph of Bahrain’s prime minister. And the court convicted Fatima Haji, a rheumatologist, for allegedly asking Manchester United’s manager to observe a moment’s silence before a match.

Last June, after intense international criticism of the government’s general crackdown on protesters, the king appointed the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry, consisting of five international human rights experts. On Nov. 23, the commission issued a 489-page report, which concluded that authorities had committed systematic human rights violations. The commission also called for judicial review of military court verdicts, which, the commissioners explained, meant that the government should free those convicted for peacefully exercising internationally recognized rights. …more