Report of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry

Chapter V — Events at Salmaniya Medical Complex
to stay at the hospital. 413 When the ambulance drivers were finally allowed to
leave SMC, they were stopped at checkpoints and some of them were abused.
He stated that when he arrived at the roundabout, many of the injured had
been moved. Later, the hospital’s administration ordered ambulance drivers
to move their ambulances away from SMC. He claimed that the dispatch logs
did not record this instruction nor did they record that ambulance services
were stopped on 17 February. 414
786. The clearance of the roundabout was accomplished in approximately
one hour. The GoB stated that ambulances were denied access to the
roundabout due to the security risk. By the time the decision was taken to
prevent ambulances from accessing the GCC Roundabout, there were no
injured protesters at the roundabout. The Head of the Emergency Section
stated that the police prevented ambulance drivers from entering the
roundabout after it had been emptied of protesters and the injured persons, as
the roundabout was declared a “crime scene” and therefore access was
prevented for the safety of the medical team. 415
787. The authorities also claimed that ambulances were moved to Ebrahim
Khalil Kanoo Medical Centre due to the large number of people gathered in
front of the Emergency Section at SMC and the tension in the area, which
made it difficult for ambulance services to enter and exit SMC. Two
ambulance drivers gave statements to similar effect. 416
(11) Unlawful arrests and mistreatment
conducted by the authorities
788. Medical staff alleged that the authorities violated the rights of patients
at SMC during March 2011. Several arrests were conducted while patients
were admitted at the hospital. In addition, several incidents of mistreatment
and physical abuse were reported.
789. The allegations against the GoB are supported by witness statements
and three reports by non-governmental organisations (NGOs): Physicians for
Human Rights; Médecins Sans Frontières; and Human Rights Watch. These
reports claim to be based on eyewitness accounts. It is alleged that on 16
March 2011, dozens of armed riot police, soldiers in military gear and armed
individuals, presumably from security services or police, entered SMC and
began detaining hospital patients on the sixth floor, specifically in Ward 63.
According to these claims, the entry of doctors and nurses into Ward 63 was
restricted from 16 March for an undetermined period (certainly for at least a
week). In addition to preventing access to, and interfering with, patients, it
was alleged that military officers also physically abused patients, detained
them within the sixth floor and forcibly moved some patients to police
stations, detention centres and BDF Hospital. Allegedly, some patients who
413 Witness statement provided to the Commission, 2 August 2011.
414 See “February 2011 Disaster Report” in file presented to the Commission by SMC entitled
“Salmaniya Medical Complex Statistics between 14 February and 22 March 2011”.
415 Interview with the Commission, 30 July 2011.
416 Interviews with the Commission, 30 July 2011.
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