Ban welcomes move to re-try medical personnel convicted of crimes in Bahrain

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today welcomed the plan to re-try the cases of several Bahraini medical personnel charged and convicted with offences related to the pro-democracy movement in the Arab country.

In a note issued by his spokesperson, Mr. Ban commended the “determination by the Attorney-General of Bahrain” to have the cases “related to the Salmaniya medical complex tried afresh before civil courts. The Secretary-General underlines his expectation that appropriate ‘due process’ will be followed in all future proceedings.”

Last week several medical personnel received jail terms after being convicted of offences related to the protests that have engulfed the small country this year, reflecting similar uprisings across North Africa and the Middle East.

Both the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the UN World Health Organization (WHO) voiced strong concern, with the latter noting that health-care workers must be able to carry out their duty to treat injured people, regardless of their political affiliation, and even in times of conflict.