Jailed Danish activist in coma in Bahrain
The Local Denmark - [email protected]
Published: 29 Aug, 2014 CET.
Updated: Fri 29 Aug 2014 08:23 CET
Less than a week in to his new hunger strike, Abdulhadi al-Khawaja has reportedly fallen into a coma. The family plans to appeal to Denmark for help.
Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, the jailed Danish-Bahraini activist who began a new hunger strike on Monday, is in a coma according to a report from Politiken. An activist with Al-Khawaja’s Bahrain Center for Human Rights said that the dual Danish and Bahraini citizen fell ill on Thursday and was taken to the prison hospital, where he was reported to be in a coma. Al-Khawaja’s family announced on Monday that he would begin a new hunger strike, refusing all food and drink with the exception of water. An earlier hunger strike by the activist lasted 110 days and led to a massive, but unsuccessful, diplomatic effort by Denmark to get him either released or transferred. Al-Khawaja, a dual citizen of Denmark and Bahrain, has been imprisoned in Bahrain prison since 2011, serving a life sentence for demonstrating against the government and organising protests during the Arab Spring. Along with eight others, he was convicted on charges of terrorism and attempting to overthrow the government. While jailed in Bahrain, al-Khawaja has been subjected to torture, violence and sexual abuse. In January 2013, al-Khawaja lost the final legal appeal against his life sentence. Al-Khawaja’s daughter Maryam wrote on Twitter that the activist’s other daughter Zainab was detained by Bahraini police on Thursday when she tried to visit their father in prison. Zainab is seven months pregnant. Both of Al-Khawaja's daughters are also Danish citizens. According to Politiken, the family will appeal to the Danish Foreign Ministry for help. A doctor has told the family that al-Khawaja's hunger strike may have already damaged his internal organs.
Comments
See Also
Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, the jailed Danish-Bahraini activist who began a new hunger strike on Monday, is in a coma according to a report from Politiken.
An activist with Al-Khawaja’s Bahrain Center for Human Rights said that the dual Danish and Bahraini citizen fell ill on Thursday and was taken to the prison hospital, where he was reported to be in a coma.
Al-Khawaja’s family announced on Monday that he would begin a new hunger strike, refusing all food and drink with the exception of water. An earlier hunger strike by the activist lasted 110 days and led to a massive, but unsuccessful, diplomatic effort by Denmark to get him either released or transferred.
Al-Khawaja, a dual citizen of Denmark and Bahrain, has been imprisoned in Bahrain prison since 2011, serving a life sentence for demonstrating against the government and organising protests during the Arab Spring. Along with eight others, he was convicted on charges of terrorism and attempting to overthrow the government. While jailed in Bahrain, al-Khawaja has been subjected to torture, violence and sexual abuse. In January 2013, al-Khawaja lost the final legal appeal against his life sentence.
Al-Khawaja’s daughter Maryam wrote on Twitter that the activist’s other daughter Zainab was detained by Bahraini police on Thursday when she tried to visit their father in prison. Zainab is seven months pregnant. Both of Al-Khawaja's daughters are also Danish citizens.
According to Politiken, the family will appeal to the Danish Foreign Ministry for help. A doctor has told the family that al-Khawaja's hunger strike may have already damaged his internal organs.
Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.