4th June 2013

BAHRAIN MEDIA ROUNDUP

Bahrain court sentences protesters up to 15 years
A Bahrain [BBC backgrounder] court on Monday issued sentences to three protesters for allegedly taking part in antigovernment protests as well as attempting to kill a police ofcer. The crimes were committed during an attack on police in the Shiite village of Manama which has been a hotbed of antigovernment protests [JURIST news archive] since 2011. The rst accused protester has been sentenced to 15 years [AFP report] for attempted murder and taking part in the protests, while the other two protesters were given lesser sentences of 10 years and ve years. Last month a Bahrain court sentenced six individuals [JURIST report] to a year in prison for insulting King Hamad via Twitter. Also last month a Bahrain court sentenced 31 protesters [JURIST report] to 15 years in prison for taking part in rebomb attacks that occurred during antigovernment protests. Read More professional development of its students. However these sites have also been the scene of the Governments militarized response to pro-democracy protests.When a student in Bahrain graduates from Medical University Bahrain he or she is awarded with Irish qualications from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) and theNational University of Ireland. As an Irish degree awarding body the RCSIBahrain must also be monitored and accredited by Irelands Medical Council. Read More

Silence is a War Crime: The Struggle for Independent Media and Freedom of Expression in Bahrain
Since the March 2011 Arab Spring revolutions, protests have swept Bahrain, causing a signicant decline in freedom of expression. This resulted in an increase of threats against media professionals, mass dismissals of journalists from the country, and rising levels of government

control over the media. According to Reporters Without Borders, the government regularly obstructs the work of journalists and refuses to license independent television and radio channels, making it nearly impossible for independent media to function. The Bahrain Press Association, a National Endowment for Democracy grantee, released Silence is a War Crimeto provide analysis of the many struggles for independent media and freedom of expression in Bahrain. Read More

Ceartas urges Irish Medical Council not to accredit Bahrain facility linked to rights abuses
The proximity of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) to human rights violations committed by the Bahraini authorities have presented numerous challenges for this medical institution. A constituent college of RCSI, the RCSIMedical University of Bahrain (RCSI-Bahrain) relies on the public hospital system of Bahrain for the education, training and