Bahrain Mirror (Exclusive): This report was not destined to complete. The verdict to arrest Dr. Ali Al-Ekri was faster than us. Wednesday 3rd October was scheduled to be our next meeting with Dr. Al-Ekri, however, the verdict of the Cassation court on 1st October to confirm his five years of imprisonment and his arrest on 2nd October were faster than us.

We are publishing what had been gathered before he has turned into the torturers’ hands. We are writing the story as was narrated by Al-Ekri himself.

We vow to you and to history, to be faithful in writing all the biographies that are shaping the national moments we live these days. 14 February chronicles is the sum total of all those biographies.

Pain united us

Since 17 February, there had been an agreement to issue a statement by the Doctors Society to condemn what had happened. In two days four statements were drafted. All were rejected. The final statement was approved in a joint statement between the Doctors and Dentists Societies. The statement was read on 20 February after returning to the Roundabout, after the march had arrived at the Roundabout after the regular working hours. The chief of the Doctors Society Ahmed Jamal read out the statement which included the medics demand of the Minister’s resignation.

In the morning of Friday 18 February, a number of the medics decided to arrange to stand in solidarity with the people and the medics and to condemn what had happened to the people and the medics, among them was Ali Al-Ekri. They phoned the Doctors Society. They decided that their protest would be at 2 in the afternoon at the Emergency courtyard. The protesters had to wear their work dress. A statement expressing the opinion of the employees working in the medical field was drafted. The news spread via the social media networks (on Facebook and Twitter) and SMS messages. “We were surprised by advertising the solidarity stand in some mosques after Friday’s prayers. At 2 in the afternoon I went to the protest place and was surprised by the big crowd.” Al-Ekri said.

Numbers of the crowd who were not of the medical staff were roaming in the courtyard since the previous day. The paramedic Ebrahim Al-Demistani declared on a microphone: Sorry, this protest is a special one. It’s for the medical staff. Everyone appreciated that. The courtyard was freed to the medics. Everyone wore their dress. The courtyard was a sea of the white, the blue and the yellow reflective jackets of the paramedics. All the colours mixed as had never been. Shoulder to shoulder, a chant to chant and concern to concern. Pain united us, as hope did.

Not less than 60% of the Ministry of Health employees were there. “It was for the first time in the history of that Ministry where its staff united in one heart and like one body. It was always looked at the medical staff as classes. The consultants first, then their assistants of doctors, then the nurses, then the clerks… etc. There were class barriers and irritating hierarchical job structure. The event which was full of pain melted down the classes. I saw the pride in the eyes of the cleaning workers that they were standing beside the consultants and the doctors. I was glad that the common purpose had lifted up the barriers and molded them together” 

Around 2000 of the medical staff stood in the Emergency courtyard. The big number and the enthusias converted it into a march. It moved to the south-eastern corner of the College of Medicine. It marched only two cycles because of its big size and it took about an hour.

army's bullets and shortage of blood

Ebrahim Al-Demistani was reading out the final statement when people started hearing a sound coming from far away. We were amazed. “We knew that a group of people headed to the Roundabout after the first martyr’s

 three-days mourning ended and the army attacked them.” Al-Ekri said. “I said to the crowd let’s break up and the doctors back to work.”

The cases started to come. Luckily the medical staff were present at Salmaniya: “I was in the Emergency Department, the suffocation cases arrived before the live bullets injuries and the case of Abdulredha Buhmaid did.”
 

The Emergency courtyard changed into a new sit-in square. The chaos was back again and again the angry agitated crowd. Al-Ekri was worried and afraid again that they would not be able to work conveniently. “Our problem is the chaos and getting hard to communicate.”

I went to the operation theatre and knew that we had few blood bags. “There was a great need for blood in the Operations Theatre and the Emergency. I went to the Blood Bank and declared that need. Immediately, young men left holding signs of “O- Blood Group is Needed”. The donation room was closed. I called the head of the Blood Bank saying to her: it’s a mess here and there is a compelling need for blood. She called the administration and they gave her the go-ahead. She came with a number of employees.” Al-Ekri continued: “The best the crowd offered on that day was that hundreds donated blood. They lined up to donate. That night we collected around 800 bags of blood in a record time. It was the biggest campaign that Bahrain saw.” Al-Ekri exalted: “Everyone was put before their historic responsibility and responded positively. Everyone worked hard. The fridges in the Blood Bank got full. All the blood groups were available. Hundreds of donors were turned down. Donating was exclusive for men because of the special case of women. Some women didn’t accept that, they fought with us to agree to their donation.”

For Al-Ekri that day finished. “I passed by the operations theatre and asked them: You need me? They said: No, there is enough number of doctors working. I was stopped by a number of journalists who were filming and interviewing people. We knew that they were allowed to the hospital by permission from Ameen Al-Saati. Ameen Al-Saati and Waleed Al-Manea were present in the hospital and were checking on the place and the cases. I had a couple of interviews with the media. One was with Al-Jazeera.”

Getting ready for 19 February

I turned in my bed with eyes that were only adept in turning over the day pictures. For the second day in a row I was not able to sleep. In the dawn, I received a message on my phone that circulated on the social media: The return to the Roundabout from three directions in bare chests, from Noaim, Sanabis and the Financial Harbour at 3 PM. Worry and insomnia took their toll on me. What could happen tomorrow? If a simple attempt to go to the Roundabout resulted in all that number of victims, what could happen tomorrow? What to do?”

It was the morning of Saturday 19 February 2011. Al-Ekri continued to turned over in his bed sleepless. “I couldn’t wait longer. At six in the morning I got up from bed, and sat on the stairs to avoid disturbing my sleeping wife and kids. I phoned Jassem Al-Mehza’a the Head of the Emergency Department. I wanted to tell him of the protesters’ decision to return to the Roundabout so that he took precautions in the hospital. He didn’t pick up the phone. I left him a message. Then I called Ameen Al-Saati. He said to me: What have you got Ali to wake me up in this early morning? I told him about the circulating message, I read it to him. He asked me: From where that message? I said: It seems from Haq group. I stressed that it should be taken seriously and we should get ready so we can handle the cases. I said to him: This is not an incident, it’s an event. The incident surprises us, while we live the event and control it. This atmosphere reminds me of Gaza. I added: In Gaza we were medics from various specialties. The place and the beds were made ready. I said to him: That work will be to your credit and will be under your umbrella and advice. “
 

Al-Ekri continued: “Al-Saati asked me: What do you suggest? I said: make use of all the medics who have experience in this field, Hassan Al-Tublani is qualified for that for his experience in the Formula One, as well as Bassem Mirza and Amal Al-Dailami. I added: Bassem Dhaif is an administrative and a head of a department. He said: Let’s meet in the hospital at 8:30!”

Everyone showed their enthusiasm and dedication to work. Al-Saati held the meeting with six of the medics. The idea was to be present close to the event to be able to assist. We were prepared to do 10 operations everyday instead of the usual daily two. Ameen Al-Saati issued a couple of verbal decisions: There should be an operation team in all specialties. He delegated the leadership of the team to Bassem Dhaif. He asked Kadhem Zabar and Huda and all the concerned departments like the orthopedics and surgery to cooperate with Bassem in getting ready for the worst.”

Al-Ekri went on: “Bassem and Huda left the meeting and made several calls according to Al-Saati’s instructions. The Emergency was an absolute mess. We should make teams for Emergency resuscitation composed of nurses, paramedics, a surgeon, and an anesthesia doctor. The objective was organising the work to avoid a team interfering with the work of the other, such that any patients received would be treated by a complete team. 20 teams were prepared. Al-Tublani was their leader. A triage team was prepared. Fatima Hajji took charge of that for a while. After the idea was clear, the on-duty doctors were asked to attend the meeting. 200 doctors came. Of the awesome arrangements that took place that Adel Bucheeri the head of pediatrics worked in the Pediatrics Emergency.”

The beginning of turning back on us

That way, things went swiftly. All the medics were enthusiastic to do their humanitarian role (the sectarian game that the authorities played later had not started yet to divide the doctors into two teams). Everyone took their responsibility of dealing professionally and humanitarianly with the situation. They prepared to take on their natural role that had no place for politics. However, did things go that ideal way? Or were they left to their spontaneous human nature?”

We continue with Al-Ekri: “Ameen Al-Saati left the meeting and went to the hospital administration and told them about the decision that had been taken in that meeting. At that point of time, insulting words towards Ali Al-Ekri started to surface from members form the Doctors Society, including accusation of violating the rules. I said to them all what happened was implementation of Ameen Al-Saati’s instructions. Sharp words were exchanged, and then everyone calmed down.”

It did not stop at that level, it escalated more. “At 11 in the morning I got a call from the administration. Al-Saati’s secretary called asking me to attend a meeting. I smelt betrayal. In my way to them, I met Dr. Abdulkhaleq Al-Oraibi and I asked him to accompany me. In the meeting there were a group of the heads of the departments, the administrative staff, the head of the doctors, the chief of the Doctors Society and his deputy and Jassem Al-Mehza’a the head of the Emergency. Al-Saati said: We thank Dr. Al-Ekri for his initiative, but you know Ali that the hospital has departments working in it. I said: What does that mean? He said: There will preparations. I said to him: I want to know, are the first meeting’s decisions still applicable? He replied: Certainly applicable, but in relation to the Emergency, Jassem has some reservations! Then Al-Mehza’a spoke and said he would take over the Emergency and didn’t need any interference.”

Al-Ekri felt it was an attempt to silence him and to retreat from the first meeting’s decisions. He said to them: “The idea was to be ready for the event, not anything else.” He added: ”When there is a race of the Formula One or a race for the camels, you bring dozens of first aid teams. Now in a situation like this there is no feeling of what could happen of stampede or injures. There is no even one first aid team?! You are accountable before history that you don’t make available an ambulance or a little clinic. This is disrespect to people’s lives. Anyone who violates the rules would be held accountable. The management of the crisis is very bad and today is a big test. Just do what you are supposed to do, not more. Al-Mehza’a spoke to Al-Ekri saying: I want one thing from you, to be the general coordinator of this. Al-Ekri felt that it was an attempt to ditch the responsibility and throw it all on me. Al-Ekri replied: Excuse me, I’m merely a doctor in the orthopedics department. If I’m asked to go to the theatre I’ll go, if I’m needed I’ll work as a cleaner in the Emergency Department not a leader.”

Al-Ekri added: “They said to me: We will ask the Doctors Society to register the names of the volunteers. I replied to them: What does the society have to do with this? All what we have is an administration that has to organise its work, and I left.”

The army withdrawal

Al-Ekri went to the ground floor. There, Rula A-Saffar gathered her nurses and organised their work according to the instructions that were passed since the morning. Organising was the secret. Rula Al-Saffar organised the nurses to form a human chain to ward off the protesters and prevent them from shoving at the entrance of the Emergency to ensure the arrival of the patients. She put an idea forward to put the protesters 20 metres away. A team of volunteers was organised to line up at the entrance of the emergency such that when an injured or a patient came, they would be taken to the proper place.

Then, the Crown Prince had not yet ordered the withdrawal of the army machineries.  Nobody knew that would happen. Everyone was on high alert.
 
People moved to the Roundabout. “At the beginning there were attacks on the protesters. Around 100 case of suffocation and injuries by birds gunshots arrived. After 1:30 the army withdrawal news came. We felt so happy that no more blood would be shed. We unburdened ourselves of the concern of the bloodshed. At that point of time the committee was forgotten and its role was over. However, its idea remained and its need didn’t expire. Actually, part of it was implemented in the next weeks when incidents escalated and the thugs started to operate.”

The Bahrainis lived the historic moment that they would never forget: the withdrawal of the army and the return to the Roundabout on 19 February. Everyone was happy and dreaming. Everyone thought it was the start to concede to the people’s demands. They felt they were very close of realising the people’s dream of real reform, which was what concerned the people. However, had the concern of the medics ended there? One of the notables set up a medical tent in the Roundabout on the same day. The tent was furnished quickly. Donations started to come. The Ministry of Health expressed its intention to furnish what it named ‘The Clinic of the GCC Roundabout’. Dr. Abdulkhaleq Al-Oraibi supervised the medical tent voluntarily. Two ambulance cars were made available around the clock.

In the Emergency courtyard, the crowd did not break up. Even after the crowds left to the Roundabout, some groups remained worried of a second attack on the Roundabout.

The resignation of the Minister

Our concern was that the Minister stepped down, especially after his appearance on TV and his claim that on 17 February only seven minor cases arrived at the hospital. The Minister Al-Hamar tried to make the subject simple and played it down to the public. That lie was not acceptable. On Sunday afternoon we left out in our work dress after finishing work in a march to the Roundabout. No one of the participants was on duty.

One of the rules was no one on his duty should come to the march. We rejected anyone from outside the medical field to participate. The only demand was that the Ministers stepped down. The march was organised two days later, another a week later. There were other small marches that moved towards different departments of the Ministry of Health. There was one march for the maintenance, another was for the physiotherapy and so on. Al-Ekri added: “At the same time there was a campaign to collect signatures demanding the Minister of Health and his executive body to resign. More than 5000 responded to the petition. In fact the Minister was dismissed and considered a crisis- monger. A new Minister was appointed.”

Things changed inside the Ministry. On the day of the Minister dismissal, Al-Ekri was surprised by two phone calls. “The first one was from Mohammed Al-Awadhi the head of the doctors, he told me he wanted me quickly. He let me in and locked the door. He asked me: Have you had breakfast? Then he offered me tea with milk, water and mini-sandwiches. He was making excuses of his non-presence. I said to him: I’m not in charge so that you justify that to me. I went to my office where the deputy of the Head of the Doctors Ali Ebrahim visited me and said to me: On Thursday, I was one of the first arrivals to the administration. I called the Minister seven times, and finally he responded to me. I informed him of the situation. I said to him: Yes, I saw. I was amazed, why is he so concerned to tell me of those details despite I was not in a leading position to hold them accountable. Was that because of what I said during that meeting which witnessed their retreat: Everyone violates the rules will be held accountable. I don’t know.”

I was about to be beaten

After returning to the Roundabout, Al-Ekri considered the presence of the protesters in the Emergency courtyard unjustifiable.  He attempted to communicate that to the protesters. “At night we went to the protesters in the courtyard, Nabeel Tamam, Rula Al-Saffar and I. We talked to them: Guys, we the medics are going to be in the medical tent at the Roundabout. Your role here has ended. Some of them attacked us.
 
They responded: Who said we are leaving, we are not. We said to them: to avoid being considered occupying the place. At the same time, Ahmed Jamal went to the podium and spoke to the crowd, Ebrahim Al-Demistrani did the same thing. They said: You have been allowed to go to the Roundabout. The crowd didn’t like that. It was about to turn chaotic. I took aside five activists from them and went to the waiting room in the Emergency. I calmed them down. I told them their presence impacts on the medical work and the patients wouldn’t able to enter. Some of them accepted, others refused, one of them whose name was Abbas and carrying a blank of wood was about to attack me.”

At one in the afternoon of the next day, Al-Ekri got a phone call to attend a meeting in the office of the under-secretary Ameen Al-Saati. Ghassan Dhaif got the same call. The meeting was in relation to the crowd in the courtyard. The under-secretary said that the Minister talked to him about the crowd who are setting up tents at the entrance. He said: You are the best to talk to them to disperse. I said to him: I have no influence on them, you talk to them and added: Last night, I talked to them and was about to be beaten by a blank of wood.”

In the evening of that day, Al-Ekri went again and talked to the same group. “Abbas who was about to beat me wasn’t among them. They didn’t accept. I went to the under-secretary and informed him. I was absolutely against that behaviour, so I didn’t go to the tent in the Emergency courtyard and never participated in its events. I knew later that some of the youths were working on a petition against me for my demand to evacuate the courtyard of the tent. A number of them refused to sign.”

In the Roundabout, things went smoothly. By time, everything got organised, easy and dreamy. The medical tent became part of the place with equipment signed off from Salmaniya administration. “The medical clinic at the Roundabout was opened I went to it regularly. I went to the tent everyday after my duty hours. We made a duty schedule and organised the volunteer work among us. I spent two nights there.”

We have not finished yet

It was quiet after 19 February until the first week of March. Later, the incidents escalated, and then the martial law was declared. The Peninsula Shield troops were deployed across the country. Then the second attack on the Roundabout was launched and everything was violated. 48 of the medics were arrested. Al-Ekri was on top of them. He was subjected to barbarian torture and sentenced to 15 years of imprisonment by the military tribunals. It was commuted to 5 years in the civil courts.  The order to arrest him on 2 October stopped the story, the most difficult story among the medics. The story of the doctor who was a scapegoat of the medics.

The story is not over yet. Its chapters are still being written inside the prison. It is waiting Al-Ekri to be outside of prison to put its final full stop.