This morning, 21 November, a Joint letter on the medical treatment of prisoners in Bahrain, signed by 52 Members of the European Parliament, was sent to the Head of the European Union Delegation to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Sultanate of Oman, Mr. Michele Cervone d’Urso.
The letter was signed by MEPs representing all of the political groups in the European Parliament. It addressed the denial of medical treatment to political prisoners in Bahrain, some of the details are outlined below:
- The letter raised concerns regarding the cruel and inhumane treatment of several high-profile prisoners in Bahrain, and asked that the Ambassador urge the Bahraini authorities to immediately allow those prisoners access to adequate medical care.
- Academic and political opposition leader Hassan Mushaima suffers from a range of serious medical issues including diabetes, gout, heart and prostate problems, numbness and is in remission from lymphoma cancer, requiring PET scans every six months. Prison authorities insist on shackling Mr. Mushaima during transfers to hospital appointments, but he has refused to go under these circumstances, considering it humiliating and unnecessary.
- Abduljalil Al-Singace, who suffers from post-polio syndrome and depends on a wheelchair, has also been denied access to medical appointments unless he subjects himself to humiliating treatment that violates the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners.
- Officials have assaulted and targeted female political prisoner Hajer Mansoor by deliberately denying her medical care for a lump in her breast and kidney stones.
The European Centre for Democracy and Human Rights (ECDHR) welcomes this initiative by the Members of the European Parliament, and calls on the European Union to act on this sign of concern by these elected officials.