Syria: Medicine as a Weapon of Persecution, Testimony No. 3

Syria: Medicine as a Weapon of Persecution, Testimony No. 3

TRANSCRIPT:"We were a group of men from the same neighborhood who went on a demonstration.At first we were asking for administrative reforms,but with the rise of violence,we began demandingthe end of the regime and for our freedom.We were used to being fired at.But the night I was injured,we were not expectingthe Syrian army and security forces to ambush the demonstrators.They launched the attack at midnight.We didn't have time to hide or run away.Two of us were injured and three were killed.One of them was a father.I was shot in my left thigh.My bone was completely shattered.I fainted while I was being carried away.I lost a lot of blood.We fled from house to house until we arrived at my home, the safest place.My injury was getting worsebut all I could think about was staying alive.We tried to find someonewho could treat us until 4 a.m.The other man's injuries were worse than mine,he had been shot in the hand and in his bottom.Unfortunately all the doctors had been arrested for treating injured patientsand they had been forced to sign a documentsaying they would only treat certain cases,the ones the government would allow.So injured people had to wait forauthorization before receiving treatment.They could die a thousand timeswaiting for this authorization.And we hadn't even managed to find a nurse.Eventually we found oneand he took care of me despite the danger.I am so grateful to him.After he treated me,I was carried to another house.So I was treated by a nurseand with very basic medical supplies.He just had needles and thread,scissors and a small box.I begged for anesthesiabut it simply wasn't possible.So I was treated by a nurseand with very basic medical supplies.He just had needles and thread,scissors and a small kit.I begged for anesthesiabut it simply wasn't possible.When he put his fingers in my thigh to extract the bullet,he hit the bone and I cried out in pain.I wanted to be anesthetized but it wasn't possible,so I had to endure the pain."

Testimonies from injured people and doctors from across Syria were collected by Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) staff between January 30 and February 6, 2012. MSF is not authorized to operate inside Syria at present and thus is unable to fully verify the information collected here. However, given the recurring nature, consistency, and severity of the acts described in these testimonies, MSF has decided to make them public. For security reasons, names and locations have been withheld. Read more - http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/press/release.cfm?id=5755&cat=press-...