Rula Al-Saffar (right) flashes the peace symbol with a Widener University student during her visit to the university in December 2012. |
A 2000 graduate of Widener
University’s master’s in nursing program, Al-Saffar became one of the most
respected medical professionals in Bahrain. She was president of the Bahrain
Nursing Society and assistant professor at the college of Health Science in
Manama, Bahrain. A breast cancer survivor, she also founded the National
Association for Cancer Awareness in Bahrain, serving as an inspiration to all
people suffering from the disease.
“Rula’s journey is a story of
leadership in the face of extreme adversity and her unwavering commitment to
her profession and to serving people,” said Widener University President James
T. Harris III. “She embodies the principles that Widener strives to instill in
all of our graduates. We are proud to call Rula an alumna of Widener and to
present her an honorary doctor of public service degree.”
In February 2011, as the Arab Spring
blossomed throughout the Middle East and peaceful protests in Bahrain turned
violent, Al-Saffar volunteered to provide medical attention to those injured,
spending days at the hospital with little or no sleep. Some of those she
treated were her colleagues – other nurses and doctors – who were serving at a
clearly marked first aid tent and were attacked by riot police.
For her efforts, Al-Saffar and many
other medics were arrested, interrogated and beaten. She spent four months in
prison without seeing her family, charged with incitement to overthrow the
Bahraini government, among other charges, convicted in a military trial and
sentenced to serve 15 years in prison.
Hearing of her plight, Human Rights
First, an independent advocacy organization, championed her cause, enlisting
Widener University, among others, in a campaign to apply international pressure
on Bahrain to have Al-Saffar’s case heard in a civil court. The efforts were
successful, and her conviction was overturned in the civil courts in June 2012,
but a number of her medical colleagues remain in prison facing lengthy
sentences.
Despite the constant threat of
imprisonment and interrogation, Al-Saffar continues to fight for the release of
her colleagues and advocate internationally for the United Nations to adopt the
concept of medical neutrality so what has happened in Bahrain does not happen
somewhere else in the future.
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