Bahrain and Ireland

This video is called The Bahrain Center for Human Rights.

Posted 2014/5/7

Bahraini Delegation in Ireland

“The PR and the cover up is not working, it is time to release human rights defenders from prison and engage seriously in a reform process,” will be the message Mary Lawlor, Executive Director of Front Line Defenders gives to representatives of the Bahraini Shura Council today during their visit to Ireland.

Mary Lawlor will also call specifically for the release of former colleague Abdulhadi Alkhawaja and Irish trained surgeon Dr Ali Al Ekri.

Representatives of the Bahraini Shura Council are in Ireland for a series of meetings with a range of political figures including Minister Joe Costello TD. They will meet today with members of the Irish Medical Delegation who visited Bahrain in July 2011 including Professor Damian McCormack, Professor Eoin O’Brien and Senator Averil Power as well as with Mary Lawlor on behalf of Front Line Defenders. The Bahraini representatives met yesterday with the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland (RCSI).

Abdulhadi Alkhawaja is the former Protection Coordinator for Front Line Defenders (2008-11) who provided support to human rights defenders at risk across the Middle East and North Africa. He left Front Line Defenders in March 2011 in order to support peaceful efforts for human rights and democracy in Bahrain. He was arrested on 9 April 2011 and tortured so badly that he required reconstructive surgery on his jaw. He is currently serving a life sentence after an unfair trial. Abdulhadi Alkhawaja is the founder and former President of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights.

Dr Ali Al Ekri, aged 45, is a senior consultant paediatric orthopaedic surgeon who is currently serving a five year sentence in prison in Bahrain following torture and an unfair trial. Dr Al Ekri was imprisoned because he treated wounded and dying protesters and told the media about evidence of torture and gunshot wounds. He completed his postgraduate training in Dublin, Ireland (1999-2002) at the RCSI. He was initially arrested from the operating theatre of Salmaniya, the hospital where he worked. He volunteered to provide medical help in Gaza during Operation Cast Lead, and upon his return was recognized by the King of Bahrain for his “brave act for all of Bahrain.”

Critics claim Irish visit to Bahrain medical university will be stage-managed. One Irish-trained doctor remains in Bahraini prison following treatment of 2011 protesters: here.