30/09/11
Dear High Commissioner Ashton,
Following my previous letter to you concerning the arrest
of medics in Bahrain, and the false hope inspired by the release of a number of
these, the situation has yet again deteriorated. As you are no doubt aware, 20
Bahraini doctors were this week sentenced to between 5-15 years imprisonment by
Military Court for treating injured protesters. The aforementioned sentenced
doctors were detained for 5+ months, reportedly tortured, deprived from access
to legal advice and kept away from their families most ofTHE time. It is important to note that some of
these doctors are married, hence leaving their children with no parents at
home.
The savage sentences imposed on medical personnel in a
Bahrain Military Court flies in the face of any fair and democratic system of
justice.
To sentence doctors to 15 years imprisonment for treating
those wounded in demonstrations against the Bahrain regimes is a travesty. I would ask you to use the influence of your
office to strongly impress on the Bahraini authorities that the absence of
justice involved in these sentences is totally unacceptable to the European
Union.
I would greatly appreciate your strongest possible
representations in this matter, and would be pleased to discuss the matter
further with you and your services.
Kind Regards,
Marian Harkin
