"Bahrain Mirror (Exclusive): I swear by Apollo the Physician and by Asclepius and by Health and Panacea and by all the gods as well as goddesses, making them judges [witnesses] to bring the following oath and written covenant to fulfillment, in accordance with my power and my judgment; to regard him who has taught me this techne as equal to my parents, and to share, in partnership, my livelihood with him and to give him a share when he is in need of necessities, and to judge the offspring [coming] from him equal to [my] male siblings, and to teach them this techne, should they desire to learn [it], without fee and written covenant, and to give a share both of rules and of lectures, and of all the rest of learning, to my sons and to the [sons] of him who has taught me and to the pupils who have both make a written contract and sworn by a medical convention but by no other. And I will use regimens for the benefit of the ill in accordance with my ability and my judgment, but from [what is] to their harm or injustice I will keep [them]. And I will not give a drug that is deadly to anyone if asked [for it], nor will I suggest the way to such a counsel. And likewise I will not give a woman a destructive pessary"

A doctor only gets into the profession with the above Hippocratic Oath. The doctor becomes accountable as far as this oath is voided of its content, and would be rewarded as much as it is alive full of it. The doctor's job and responsibility is to give people life and hope, and spare them, as far as possible, death and pain.

"This oath was our choice, while others decided to choose something else” Bassim Dhaif

It took weeks of storytelling with Bassem, meetings were sometimes continued for more than three hours, evoking experience with pain was not easy at all, therefore we will not restore the order of events, rather leave them as they are in his memory, scattered, confused, concerned, and sometimes fatal, nonetheless events never come out the essence of the Hippocratic Oath.

Bassem ruined your knee!

We were three or four persons in a cell, they brought two more; one was Ebrahim Al-Demistani who is a nurse and was my patient too; I had operated on his anterior cruciate ligament of his knee before. At the Criminal Investigation Department, they used to beat him on his knees; in particular the one underwent the operation and told him:"you have to say that Dr. Bassem Dhaif cheated on you; he took all your money yet damaged your knee!". He had no choice other than repeating what they asked for; it is though worth mentioning that I carried out the operation free of charge at Salmaniya Hospital. When we met later he cried and apologised for me. I told him I acknowledge what made you saying it; even if you mentioned that I was about to kill you; at that time I too had to say that Dr Al-Ekri had weapons!

I am one of your students!

After two days of removing the handcuffs, they took me to the clinic, blindfolded, tied to the back, someone came to call for the name of each one of us and started to beat us surprisingly. Once I heard my name and I said yes; I got a punch that I did not experience a similar one before. The guard said "I will force you to be work as porter at the Central Market".

They wanted to take me to the clinic, I refused because of what I heard about the torture in there, and the guard told me: I'll take you and will not allow anyone to beat you. Nobody beat me, but someone continued poking me with a pen in my stomach and my neck. In contrast, there was a Bahraini doctor who used to treat me well and called me a doctor. He also used to ask me if I needed anything, or any specific medicine. I got them later. When the blindfold was taken off me, that doctor smiled, asked about how it was going with me. I questioned "I think I know you?!", he answered "I am one of your students at the Medical School in the university. I never forget your favor on me". I couldn't control myself, cried; felt there are still people who judge us based on what actually we have been doing to the society and they still believe us, and in us.

Blindfolded and handcuffed; yet examined & consulted!

On one occasion in which we were taken to the Criminal Investigation Department, someone came and told me that I conducted an operation on his shoulder, and he now he suffered from sound and pain at the site of the operation, I asked to examine his shoulder, he took off the blindfold and I did the examination.

Once when I was in the clinic, they took me to another room. Unfastened the handcuff on my hands, but still blindfolded. A few people entered and I heard a woman with them; who said: We know that you are one of distinguished and famous doctors, and we now seek your medical consultation: We have an injured whose fingers were cut off, and she continued describing the case when one of the presents interfered, took my hand and described the case using it. I told them about all the possibilities, and emphasized the uniqueness of each case. They asked me if I could do transplantation. I said: if after eight hours of the accident and the fingers were not preserved properly, a transplant could not be done. They asked me to nominate a well known international surgeon; I told them that I don't memorise contact numbers; however I suggested to them to contact Dr Yousif Al-Aa'li in the hospital. They took me back to the bus, during that a person came to thank me and said they got a telephone number of an international surgeon from Dr Yousif.

I met many people who I do not know during the months of my arrest. They introduced themselves and reminded me that I treated them one day. That alone relieved me of the most painful charge against me: Discrimination in treatment! Even after my release, when I re-opened my clinic, every time I had a patient from the other sect, I feared that he/she would have a feeling that I could cause damage to them - as the regime spread it. However, as time passed I overcame that feeling.

I never forget Hazaa...

Haza’a, or as he wanted me to call him, was the most of jailers with mercy, closest to me, and he used to take care of me, never assaulted or hurt me. Disappeared for days and then returned asking about me, he unlike the other guards used to bring cold water to me. On the day of my release; they took us to the Dry Dock clinic, and while I was examined, Haza’a came. I recognised him from his voice. That was the first time I saw him. He asked me: do you know me? I replied :yes. He hugged me. I did the same. I then thanked him deeply for his humanitarian care during the period of detention. I promised him to always mention his favour.

Bahrain TV broadcasts our confessions!

In an afternoon of a day in April, probably the third week of it, they took us from the Dry Dock prison to the Criminal Investigation Department, like all the previous times, no one knew why. They left us there, we slept on the floor, the air conditioner was very cold, we - my brother Gassan, Dr Nader Diwani and I were trembling; one guards sympathized with us and brought a quilt of one and half meter wide. The three of us shared it.

In the morning, the guards changed their treatment, they unscrewed our handcuffs. Nearly at ten o'clock they allowed us to bathe and served us tea. One person - with a distinctive voice - said: listen, all things will be fine with you finally. He added: your other colleagues were released with fine and you will be released as well. I asked: “For how long will the detention period continue”? He replied: “It is supposed to be one or two months as a maximum, then things will be all right.”

We came to know later that they wanted to record our confessions to broadcast them on Bahrain TV. All doctors were presented that day, charged with misdemeanors and felonies. The person who run all show was Mubarak bin Howail, everyone who were called, sat in a chair opposite the camera and lighting, and all that black equipment, with faces that looked firmly and cruelty with hardcore against us. After sitting, the blindfolding was taken off. The place looked like a fully equipped studio, with all the equipment especially made for filming, very luxurious furniture, in a big place. We learned later that Bahrain TV had a special place at the Criminal Investigation Department building built especially for such purposes.

In that place equipment and microphones were spread everywhere bearing BTV logo, camera crew were all masked, some of whom were wearing thobe (a long white robe) and covered their faces with Qutrah (part of national dress). After setting up every detail, they took us to the confession chair. The beginning was with Dr. Abdulkhaliq Al-Auraibi, then my brother Gassan, then was my turn. I listened to their confessions carefully and followed exactly the same procedure. I mentioned my name, my job, my specialisation, I also said that I studied at the state's expense, then began to narrate the confessions that we were forced to confess under torture. Women faces were not open to us, but I got to know Dr. Jalila Al-Ali'a from her blurry coughing, she sounded so exhausted.

I confessed under torture and fear, that injured came to Salmaniya and their injuries were simple which did not require surgical intervention, however, I deliberately expand their injuries, and fabricated fake injuries to be passed through international media channels! I confessed under torture and fear too that Dr Ali Al-Ekri had told me that he owned weapons and were hidden in the toilets and roofs of Salmaniya Hospital and he smuggled weapons to the Pearl Roundabout via ambulances. Mubarak bin Howail said: well done Bassem, well done. Do you want to add anything else? I said: yes, I am guilty and apologise to the nation.

Unprecedented Comic!

Confessions were more like an unprecedented comic film: owning firearms, conducting fake operations, doctors repeating "We are victorious and Allah is our sponsor" upon hearing the imminent arrival of the Iranian fleet to the coast of the Gulf! Doctors received instructions from Sheikh Ali Salman GS(General Secretary of Al Wefaq Society). They received instructions to fuel the situation in Salmaniya Hospital by the former MP and the Assistant to Al Wefaq GS Khalil Marzouq; as he is Dr. Ali Al-Ekri's brother in law. They also asked us to confess that members of Al-Wefaq society were attending to Salmaniya Emergency Department to induce doctors to fabricate lies and fabrications and communicated through international media particularly with regard to the quantity and types of injuries received at the hospital and also news pertaining to the security situation.

We also were forced to name some members’ of Al Wefaq society that they came to Salmaniya for incitement, including former MPs Ali Al-Aswad and Sayed Jameel Kadhem. Dr Nabeel Hameed was also forced to confess that he had an unnecessary operation to martyr Abdul Redha Bu Hameed to expand his head's wounds - at the behest of Dr. Al-Ekri and Gassan Dhaif to broadcast the operation's images to international media, for the purpose to destabilize security and attempt to overthrow the regime, which led to his death; and that Dr Nader Dewani had communicated continuously with the Iranian Ambassador in Bahrain and received all instructions directly from him; in particular those related to inducing medics to continue protests and sit-ins!

The gentle treatment ends!

Filming the confessions continued from 11:30am until 10:00pm. As the daylight had started with good treatment by the jailers; it ended like any other day with a typical way of their sadistic lust of causing hurt. Ater filming, we were dragged to the car and the treatment has changed, I was beaten on my head and one of the guard told me: “You bullock, how could Ali Al- Ekri fool you?”

When I returned to the prison, my prison friends received me with hugs and tears. They were very scared after two days of my disappearance. The entire situation was so touching. After returning to the cell; both Dr Nabeel Hameed and Dr Mahmood Asqar joined us in the same cell.

A punishment for prayer!

In the prison, the path to God becomes shorter. Let’s pray Jaafar Al-Tayyar’s prayer (a particular prayer). Not many knew how to perform the prayer, they asked Dhaif to pray loudly and then they would follow him. Once he finished the door was opened firmly, a guard entered, dragged Dhaif harshly, got him outside the cell and threw him, Dhaif was screaming, hoped for him not to do that, begged the guard to return him to the cell, but the policeman was so angry with his prayer. Later on, the door of the cell was opened, guards took Dhaif and his friends to Criminal Investigation Department, upon the return, they brought him back to his cell, but the policeman himself returned once again, and took Dhaif away to another cell, to remain there for three months, it was the price of that prayer!

In the new cell, his mates were Dr. Mahmood Asgar, Dr. Nabeel Hameed, the medic Amin Al Aswad, the blogger Ahmed Al Dairi and others who worked in Al Areen Wildlife Park Ghalib and Khalil, Fadhel and Ahmed (had epilepsy and a mental disability). With this intellectual assortment, a daily program was set up. "After I settled in this cell, we agreed on the need to start with a spiritual program on nightly basis. We needed to illuminate the spiritual side inside us and that was the only way to support our psychological status and improve our spirits.

After dinner, the program started directly, Ahmed Al-Dairy is a well-informed and has lots of information. He had abundant historical information, and he was one of the most people who imparted spiritual atmosphere during those sessions.

Each of us has expertise and experience ..

Religion was not the only part that was presented in our life at the prison, the human was also there, memories, experiences, knowledge, and the human's inability too. Dr Dhaif said: "We were listening some nights to the experiences of some detainees, Khalil was a skillful sailor and expert in fish species, forms and methods of fishing and fish best locations. Whereas Ghaleb loved horses. He knew their breeds, types and ways to deal with them and even how to talk to them. He used to tell us a lot of stories shared with many members of the royal family. Later, another detainee named Jassim Al-Sabagh joined us, to whom I have a special feeling until today; he taught us how to intone the Quran properly. We only met after we moved to Ward No. 6 i.e. after the end of the state of National Security. "

Whereas Ahmed suffered from epilepsy, was destined to share a cell with doctors, it meant a lot to his life. One night, he stood to pray, he directly fell as a result of an epileptic seizure. He was tall and with a huge body, and no one knew much about him as he was taciturn, we were aware of him taking medicines. Bassem said: "Dr Nabeel Hameed and I helped him and called the guards. He was immediately taken out from the cell". Since that night Ahmed no longer came back, a guard told them that he was transferred to the Military Hospital, and was released later, but no one ever could confirm it.

The privacy of Ward No. 5...

Ward No. 5, is the doctors' ward, it was like a consultants forum, all medical staff detained of misdemeanors and felonies were under one roof, and each cell of its nine contained two or three consultants. The ward was almost about to turn into the largest gathering for medics that no similar place had seen, where the medical specialties were orthopedics, plastic surgery, dentistry, neurology, pediatrics and a kidney and eye transplant; in addition to a few medics and nurses including the head of ambulances. That gathering was not aimed to improve the medical profession, rather to its disappearance and deterioration!

In the prison you can expect anything, and accept everything, and apparently suffering and cruelty were all what was available. Compassion from some people was showed though, this was exactly what happened, in the Dry Dock Prison, with one of the guards whose "Abu Abdullah" or so he wanted the detainees to call him, and his accent indicated Yemeni origins, "he treated us well" as Bassem said, "We felt his sympathy."

"The breakfast consisted of two eggs, bread, tea, one piece of cheese, and a pack of a small jam, we asked the Pakistanis' guards to give us an extra piece of cheese they refused, but Abu Abdullah was giving us, and sometimes we were surprised with a full pack of cheese crossing the cell bars, and he sometimes was conveying to us what was going on outside the prison, of which we knew about the death of Sayed Alawi Al-Guraifi (one of the senior clergymen), and the King's son Nasser visit to offer condolences. Among the things that he conveyed to us the news that they found weapons and eavesdropping devices in the Salmaniya Hospital, and those new charges we did not know that were added to us. Also what he mentioned to us that we would be released, and told us about Bahrain TV news of the release of 42 doctors and physicians. Our relationship with him was good , and we were patiently awaiting his arrival, perhaps he would convey happy news that would rejoice our hearts".

A new ward: open to darkness...

On May 30, we were moved to another ward - ward 6, in the new cell, another punishment phase had begun, everything there was prepared to intimidate us, dim lighting, faded colors, and full steel doors. The cell was very narrow, late of at night one guard came, and asked us to decide the names of four to leave the cell that was small to accommodate all the detainees. Everyone refused to leave; we asked the guard to allow all of us to stay despite the lack of space, as everyone was accustomed with each other and had a close friendship. He left. Before the morning he came back this time, he himself chose four of us to be transferred to another cell. That night sadness fell, worries overshadowed everybody, Dhaif said: "We were upset, and felt unable to breath, and sob out, the guard was also sympathetic, after the incident he built a good relationship with us, he used to come from time to time to ask about us, since that night he began to bring the human side that was obscured inside him."

On the fifth of June, we were surprised of a visit by two senior officers, one of them was masked, told us to be ready after dawn prayers, he said: Pray and put on and be ready. A large part of us expected a release, however we were not happy, but confused. We spent the night in prayer. At dawn, they asked the medics to prepare, made us stand against the wall, blindfolded, tied our hands and took us in small buses, where pushed in together, the strange thing was that they beat and kicked us during getting on the bus, we were at a loss of what was happening, we thought that the beating stage was over.

The bus moved. It did not go more than seven minutes until it stopped, took us to a place that we did not know, that was accompanied with a severe beating and kicking, I remember I received lots of punches in the abdomen and face, and blows to the back of my head, the new place was just another prison, Asri Prison. The cell was very small, but had a high roof.

They unscrewed the handcuffs, and kept the blindfolds, and every one of us began talking to the other, close to me was Dr. Abdullah Al-Durazi, he was one my students in the College of Medicine, put his head on my shoulder, whispering with a throaty voice "what will they do to us doctor?! They broke my nose," later I knew that he had received a blow on his nose. I calmed him down and told him that God is with us, and that our release will be soon."

Until that moment, in that towering cell, the release was all what Dhaif and comrades detainee expected, Dhaif said: "I looked at the towering walls, on the top was a small window, and the sun had not risen yet, and once the day had started, I heard the singing of the birds, and began to sense the taste of freedom. "

In the morning, they brought breakfast. All guards were masked, asked the detainees to eat silently facing the wall. Most of us did not eat, tension was dominating that unknown moment.

They called us, one after the other. They dragged us into the cars, and a barrage of foul words accompanied us, beat us. We were crammed on top of each other, they deliberately humiliated us, they told us to lower our heads down, they threatened to beat us with birds gunshots in our heads if we did not do so. The car was stopped, the place was very hot. The glow of heat filled the place and made us feel we were in a desert. At the gate, we were received by Bahrainis, it was clear from their accent. We were led into narrow room. We were told we would be shortly taken to the judge: “We do not want a single breath, no smile, no voice”. We realised that they were in the Military Court!

 
Link to part One
Link to the Arabic copy