expressed similar concerns, stating that "health-care workers must be able to carry out their duty to treat injured people, regardless of their political affiliation, and even in times of conflict." the international council of nurses and world medical association issued a joint statement objecting to the closed military trial and stated its belief that "doctors and nurses have an ethical duty to care for patients irrespective of their race, colour, creed and political affiliation. no health professional should be put on trial for looking after injured and dying people." the u.k.-based royal college of nursing wrote to the bahraini government on the health workers' behalf, as well as sending them a direct video message of support in which general secretary peter carter said, "all you were doing was your job. you were trying to care for people." human rights organizations international human rights groups said the accusations against doctors were "reprisals for treating injured protesters". amnesty international described the charges as "ludicrous" and a "travesty of justice". the organization called for a letter-writing campaign on behalf of the convicted health workers, stating its belief "that the charges were politically motivated, that the proceedings did not meet international fair trial standards and that may be prisoners of conscience". following the conviction of nine medics in the retrials, amnesty said it was a "dark day for justice" and named them prisoners of conscience. freedom house called the trials part of "a pattern of repression that belies any promises of reform and honest political discourse by the government or the ruling family". front line defenders also described the arrests as part of a "widespread pattern of repression". human rights watch protested the alleged torture of the medics, condemned what it called the "fundamental unfairness" of the trials, and urged the appeals court to overturn the "flawed convictions". the gulf centre for human rights called on bahrain's king to "intervene personally and immediately" to have the charges against the health workers dropped. the u.s.-based physicians for human rights also called for the health workers' immediate release.