Report of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry

Report of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry
781. According to witness statements, patients were brought to SMC
between 03:15 and 06:15. At 06:45, a call was received stating that an
ambulance driver had been pulled out of an ambulance by police and
assaulted, and then ordered to walk back to SMC. At 07:30, another
ambulance driver was beaten and two paramedics were threatened with being
shot if they returned to the GCC Roundabout. One paramedic stated that he
was one of the paramedics who went to the GCC Roundabout at the time of
the first clearance on 17 February 2011, and that he and other paramedics
were severely beaten by police. He provided a copy of an official medical
report issued to him on that day, which indicates that he suffered severe head
injuries, as well as a copy of a newspaper article reporting on his case and
attacks on other paramedics that day. 408 The article includes a picture of his
injuries.
782. The Commission received video footage that shows an injured
paramedic being questioned by his colleagues upon arriving at SMC. 409 He
states that he was injured near the GCC Roundabout, and when asked by
whom he states that he was attacked by members of the hospital
administration.
(10) Refusal to send ambulances
783. The accused medical staff alleged that the authorities prevented
ambulances from attending the GCC Roundabout on 17 February 2011.
784. One of the accused doctors 410 and another doctor 411 both stated that
they were stopped at a checkpoint and prevented from reaching the GCC
Roundabout. According to the statement submitted to the Commission by the
accused medical personnel:
On February 17 2011, ambulances were prevented from going to
the pearl [GCC] roundabout at around 8:45 am. Thereafter, the
injured patients were brought into the hospital by civilian cars.
[The Assistant Undersecretary for Hospital Services] ordered [the
Chief of Hospital Services] not to send any ambulances unless he
received orders directly from him. The Chief of Ambulance
Services was advised to mobilize ambulance cars away from SMC
and not send them to pearl roundabout unless he [got] further
instructions. 412
785. The Chief of Ambulance Services at SMC stated that at 03:11 the
ambulance dispatch room at SMC received a telephone call from police
headquarters reporting injured protesters at the GCC Roundabout. The first
ambulance arrived at the roundabout at 03:15. However, he was later
prevented from reaching the injured at the GCC Roundabout and was ordered
408 Witness statement provided to the Commission, 22 August 2011.
409 Video received from the MoI.
410 Witness statement provided to the Commission, 4 August 2011.
411 Witness statement provided to the Commission, 23 August 2011.
412 Email sent to the Commission on 13 September 2011 (original English text).
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