Averil Power (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

For those who were not at the Ceartas meeting on the last occasion, the background to this is the violent crackdown on peaceful protestors in early 2011 in Bahrain, and that those protesters were then brought to the hospital for treatment and the doctors, seeing that protesters had been shot in the back of the head, that they had been unarmed and that they were clearly just making a peaceful statement in the context of the Arab Spring and protests elsewhere, criticised that. Some of them stated in television interviews that they could not believe this was happening in their country and it was a disgrace. Those doctors, for speaking out against what had happened, were arrested and thrown in jail, as has been documented in the independent commission into those events, and were also tortured. I have met those doctors, both male and female, who were tortured. I travelled to Bahrain with an Irish group and spoke to them. That is the context to all of this and it is important to remember that.

No-one is denying the importance of the internationalisation of Irish universities or the valuable role that Irish institutions can play in other countries in providing a high-quality education, and we are not questioning RCSI's presence in Bahrain, but internationalisation should not overlook basic human rights.

It is notable in both submissions, particularly that of the college, that there is no reference to the human rights aspect. The submission of the college is all about the quality of the academic education provided. Half of the education provided is academic and delivered in lecture halls, but the other essential component is education provided on placements in hospitals. As has been documented by international human rights bodies, the hospitals, as institutions, are not independent of the government in the way the Medical Council would prefer. They are militarised and run by the Bahraini defence forces. I have visited them. There was a tank outside Salmaniya Hospital when I visited it.
There has been discrimination in the employment of RCSI students. Forty students trained for jobs in King Hamad University Hospital, but only 15 were given jobs. When they started, their expectation was that they would all be given positions. The 25 who were not given jobs were all Shia. Therefore, there has been sectarianism in the appointments process and the way both staff and students have been treated by the Bahraini regime. There has been militarisation, as we said, and there are serious concerns about the safety and welfare of students and staff in RCSI Bahrain.
That the college’s presentation does not mention these issues gives the sense that one can be apolitical and not comment on the political environment in Bahrain. However, the silence is not non-political. It is deeply politicised because it is an endorsement of the status quo. The key aspects of medical training include medical neutrality, an essential part of the RCSI's code. The documentation referred to non-discrimination in the provision of medical services. It is precisely for such non-discrimination that the doctors were arrested for treating unarmed protesters. The president of RCSI Bahrain found it necessary to resign over this issue. He felt he could not stand over the circumstances involved when he went to Bahrain and saw what was occurring. He could not stand over commitments to ensure the safety and welfare of his staff and students. Mr. Tom Collins is a good man. We have had him here to make presentations on other issues. He is very well respected in the education sector.
The NUI's presentation makes reference to the responsibility of universities to uphold and promote human rights. I draw attention to a weakness. I would like the delegates to elaborate on what the NUI is actually doing to promote human rights. It seems to have judged the events from afar in some respects and accepted the word of the Bahraini college that there is no issue and that the education being provided is safe and acceptable.
The delegates referred to the NUI's quality assurance guidelines for transnational collaborations. The document submitted makes points not mentioned in the presentation. It suggests organisations should be satisfied that “the proposed environment is one in which human rights can be respected and the ethical values of the institution upheld”. In the light of comments made by the UN special rapporteur on torture, human rights bodies, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, I do not know how anybody could accept that there is no serious human rights issue in the case in question. It is a case of protecting and upholding human rights.
Have the RCSI and the NUI taken any real step to become satisfied that these issues are being addressed? What investigations have been carried out? Can they be published in order that we can see what has actually happened? There were recent reports of a sectarian attack on a student on the campus. Has the RCSI investigated that incident and raised concerns with the college as a consequence? Is the NUI, as the accreditation body, aware of it? Is the NUI satisfied that the RCSI is meeting its expectations in Bahrain in regard to human rights, particularly given that even the departmental representatives here have acknowledged there is a problem? The Tánaiste is on record as acknowledging that there is a human rights problem in this case. What steps has the NUI really taken to ensure the problem is being addressed? Has it interviewed staff and students? Has it interviewed the imprisoned medics who actually trained in RCSI Dublin? Some of them are former staff of the college in Bahrain. One of them, Dr. Fatima Haji, has still not been re-employed in her position in the college. It is understood and she has stated the reason she has not been given her job back is that she has been very critical, both in Ireland and Bahrain, of the regime.
With respect to Professor Kelly, his presentation does not refer to the human rights issue. Does the RCSI believe there is a human rights problem in Bahrain? Does it accept that there have been major human rights abuses? Does it accept that what happened in the hospitals on the day the protestors were admitted was wrong? As an organisation representing Ireland in Bahrain, does it accept that it has a responsibility to meet human rights standards?
I will wrap up with a brief comment on the NUI and the Department of Education and Skills. It is one thing for the RCSI to put its own reputation at stake in Bahrain and internationally by having a close relationship with such a dictatorial and violent regime, but it is quite another for the NUI and the Medical Council, if it is to grant accreditation, to put theirs on the line. The same applies to the Department of Education and Skills. I appreciate Ms Doyle's point that foreign affairs issues are generally matters for the Tánaiste who has spoken out about this. However, our policy needs to be consistent. If the Tánaiste is accepting that there is a human rights issue, it is important that the Department of Education and Skills be very careful, particularly in the context of internationalisation. Internationalisation is very important to Irish institutions but reputation is everything. The way the RCSI is behaving in Bahrain is putting the reputation of Irish education in jeopardy. It is important that the Department of Education and Skills step in and ensure the matter is taken seriously.
Let me outline what I would like to see occurring pursuant to this meeting. The only way those who are signing off on the programmes in the NUI and the Department can ensure the education being provided in Bahrain, particularly in the military hospital environment, is up to Irish standards is to have a credible international watchdog. With respect to the college, because it has been so silent on human rights issues and not acknowledged them, it is not good enough for the NUI or the Department simply to accept its word. A body such as Médecins Sans Frontièresor some other international group should carry out inspections, if, of course, it can gain access to Bahrain. The authorities in Bahrain routinely refuse access - the UN special rapporteur on torture cannot even gain access to it. The only way one can credibly stand over what is occurring is if one asks an international watchdog to carry out inspections and interview staff and students so as to be satisfied the system is up to scratch. The same applies to Medical Council accreditation. If the delegates’ visit is to be genuine, it is important they say they will meet staff and students and seek to talk to the imprisoned medics who are former staff and students of the college. They should ensure they get both sides of the story. I am very concerned that they will be chaperoned from the airport in Bahrain and hear only the views of the Minister for Health, whom I met when I was there. While she is a very charming, articulate and well educated lady, it is important to hear both sides of the story. The only means of credibly signing off on accreditation is if there is an independent watchdog on the ground to ensure professed standards are being upheld.
I appreciate the latitude given by the Chairman. We are responding to very lengthy presentations.