Rula Al-Saffar,
the former president of the Bahrain Nursing Society who was imprisoned for
treating injured protesters during Bahrain’s Arab Spring, will speak at Widener
University on Thursday, December 6 at 1 p.m. in Founders Hall Room 109. The
event is free and open to the public.
Al-Saffar,
who graduated from Widener in 2000 with a master’s degree in nursing, was one
of several doctors and nurses imprisoned in Bahrain following that nation’s
Arab Spring protests in February 2011. Al-Saffar claims she was tortured and
threatened with rape during her four months in prison before a hunger strike
and the assistance of Human Rights First aided in her release from prison.
In September
2011, she was convicted in a military trial on a slew of charges including
incitement to overthrow the Bahraini government. Stripped of her positions and
unable to work, her future was uncertain until June 2012 when a civil court
overturned her conviction. Many of her colleagues, however, were not so
fortunate.
Through it
all, Al-Saffar has remained outspoken and unbowed, becoming an internationally
known figure for her bravery in the fight for justice for her colleagues.
Earlier this year, Arabian Business Magazine ranked Al-Saffar 11th
on its list of the world’s 500 most influential Arabs.
A breast
cancer survivor, Al-Saffar founded the National Association for Cancer
Awareness in Bahrain, and has served as an inspiration to all women suffering
from the disease. She also served as assistant professor at the College of
Health Science in Manama, Bahrain.