Report of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry

Report of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry
clear. The Head of Administrative Services at SMC 310 and the Assistant
Undersecretary for Primary Healthcare 311 stated that these meetings occurred
but added that the general atmosphere at SMC was very tense and that during
these two meetings SMC administrators were pressured and, at times, felt
threatened. The Commission has seen video footage of medical personnel
chanting aggressively and gesticulating outside the room where the meeting
was apparently taking place.
706. Similarly, the Head of the Emergency Section, the Deputy Chief of
Medical Staff and a BDF doctor stated that the accused doctors were part of a
“parallel” programme or plan that aimed to “hijack” the hospital and its
administrative systems. 312 For example, it was alleged that there was a plan to
take over the hospital paging system used to communicate between members
of staff. It was suggested that one of the reasons that the protesters and their
supporters among the medical staff wanted to take over the facility was
because there was an agreement that SMC was immune from police
intervention, and that security agencies were not allowed to enter the facility
or use any force in its surroundings. The BDF doctor suggested that the
decision to take over SMC would have been taken when the protesters and the
political forces behind them felt that they had achieved their “political”
purposes and wanted to follow through and capitalise on their success and
control a high value site. The Deputy Chief of Medical Staff stated that in the
meetings on 19 and 20 February, it seemed that some doctors were trying to
take over the administration of SMC and to replace the department heads.
This move was rejected, which led them to try and control the entry and exit
of patients in the Emergency Section.
707. The Military Attorney General stated in the official indictment that
one of the accused doctors led a group of doctors and nurses to rally at the
GCC Roundabout, chant anti-regime slogans and occupy Bahrain’s largest
hospital in order to further their goal of toppling the regime. He alleged that
this group met on 17 February 2011 in the vicinity of the SMC Emergency
Section. The following morning, they gathered at the house of one of the
accused doctors for a meeting chaired by the leader of the accused doctors. At
these meetings, they exchanged statements and discussed developments at the
GCC Roundabout. The Military Attorney General alleged that they agreed to
draft a statement calling for the sacking of the Minister of Health, while Al
Wefaq would file an international complaint in this regard against Bahrain.
According to the Military Attorney General the group then staged a silent vigil
in the SMC courtyard, whilst on duty, in response to a call made by the doctor
in whose house they had met. They read the statement they had drafted,
urging the disruption of Bahrain’s security and stability. It was also alleged
that on 19 February, the leader of the accused doctors and another accused
doctor met at the SMC Radiology Department. They were later joined by a
number of the other accused medical personnel. They agreed to meet the
following day at 08:00 at the clinic of the leader of the accused doctors in
310 Minutes of court hearing on 20 June 2011 in Case No. 191 of 2011.
311 Interview with the Commission, 30 July 2011.
312 Interview with the Commission, 28 August 2011.
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