Nurses and health professionals have been jailed for the past two years after treating injured pro-democracy protestors in Bahrain.

The Australian Nursing Federation yesterday launched a solidarity campaign, with the support of the ACTU and Union Aid Abroad APHEDA, outside Parliament House to highlight and condemn ongoing human rights violations against their international colleagues.

The union’s stand marks two years since the violent crackdown on mass democracy protests in the small island country that resulted in at least 87 deaths and the arrest of more than 1800 anti-government protestors.

The Bahrain Centre for Human Rights reports health services have been militarised and more than 90 medical staff, including nurses, have been targeted, with some being arrested and tortured for treating injured protestors.

ANF federal secretary Lee Thomas said the union was appalled nurses and other healthcare professionals in Bahrain remain locked up for “simply doing their job – caring for the sick and injured”.

“Two years after the uprisings, we’re told there are still seven medics being held in Bahraini prisons, including Ibrahim al Demistani, general secretary of the Bahrain Nursing Society,” she said.

“As Australia’s largest health union, the ANF condemns these human rights violations against nurses and other health workers and we are hopeful that this show of solidarity from across Australia’s trade union movement and politics will highlight their plight and put pressure on the Federal Government to take action.”

The Australian Greens and the Australian Labor Party are finalising motions, which will be put to the Federal Senate and the House of Representatives, supporting human rights in Bahrain.