Bahrain Docs Face Jail Despite Torture Claims

Medical staff from Bahrain, who have been given lengthy jail sentences following unrest in the Gulf kingdom, have been speaking out about their harsh sentences.

Twenty doctors and nurses are facing jail terms ranging from five to 20 years, and many say they were forced into confessions after being tortured.

Sky's special correspondent Alex Crawford managed to speak to some of those involved.

They are currently on bail, awaiting a retrial by a civilian court after their conviction at a military hearing.

A surgeon, Dr Fatima Haji, described how she lost her temporarily lost her sight after being subjected to electric shocks following her arrest:

"I was blindfolded all the time and they handcuffed me with my hands at the back. I, I looked like a goat or a sheep, ready to be slaughtered at any time.

"They started to beat me on my head. Then I was electrocuted on my head. I lost my vision that night. I could not see. It was all whitening. I was not able to see."

Dr Haji, who has a three-year-old child, also told Sky News how she was threatened with violence and sexual assault: "And he was telling me, do you know, do you remember, this guy how we found him? I will kill you. I will first rape you.

"I will let every single person in this room rape you and then I will kill you and I will leave your dead body to be rotting in a trash can very far away from here so your family will find you after weeks and nobody will even know what's happened to you.'"

The group were accused of a series of offences, including inciting sectarian hatred, using the government hospital as a protest centre, attempting to topple the regime and hiding weapons and rebels in the hospital.

Husband and wife, Dr Ghassan Dhaif and Dr Zahrhra Al Sammak are among those facing an uncertain future.

They are concerned about the fate of their three children, should they be sent to jail. Dr Dhaif told Sky News:

"By the time I'm out, my daughter, she will be in her 30s, my son will be in his late 20s, so I have lost everything."

The accused are calling for international condemnation of the actions of the regime in Bahrain as they wait to see if they are cleared in the civilian courts.