A prominent activist in Bahrain imprisoned since the country's 2011 Arab Spring protests began a new hunger strike Wednesday, seeking to pressure the island kingdom and Europe over his internationally criticized detention.
Abdulhadi al-Khawaja began what supporters described as an “open-ended” hunger strike while detained at the Jaw Rehabilitation and Reform Center in Bahrain. A previous hunger strike by the 64-year-old activist, who also holds Danish citizenship, lasted for 110 days in 2012 — and a doctor now is warning the Danish government that al-Khawaja is already 10 kilograms (22 pounds) underweight and has a heart condition that could worsen.
“Despite Mr. Khawaja’s ability to endure severe malnutrition and dehydration in the past, my assessment is that he will be at high risk of death in a hunger strike of any duration,” Dr. Damian McCormack wrote.
Authorities in Bahrain, an island off the coast of Saudi Arabia in the Persian Gulf, did not directly respond to questions from The Associated Press about al-Khawaja's hunger strike. However, they contended prisoners in Bahrain faced “fair trials before an independent judiciary,” are ”guaranteed their full rights" and receive care from medical teams that “act swiftly to advise on health risks.”
Human rights group and United Nations experts long have described al-Khawaja as being arbitrarily detained after being given a life sentence by a military tribunal on internationally criticized terrorism charges.
The effort by al-Khawaja appears aimed at trying to renew pressure on Denmark to negotiate for his freedom.
Denmark has over the years talked with Bahraini officials about al-Khawaja, who insist his imprisonment is just and that he is a Bahraini citizen, subject to the kingdom's laws. Al-Khawaja's supporters also say they want to pressure the European Union over his case as well.
The timing of the hunger strike also coincides with this weekend's edition of Bahrain's annual Manama Dialogue, a security summit organized by the International Institute for Strategic Studies, which draws world leaders.
Al-Khawaja lived abroad for years, first as a student in London before facing exile for his activism. He gained Danish citizenship through political asylum.
He returned in 1999 to Bahrain, a majority Shiite Muslim island governed by a Sunni Muslim ruling family, with the ascension of Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa as the island’s ruler and later king, who initially promised to work more closely with the kingdom’s Shiites.
Al-Khawaja helped found the Bahrain Center for Human Rights and advocated democratic reforms.
However, the Shiites under King Hamad continued for years to complain of being treated as second-class citizens in the kingdom about the size of New York City, with a population of around 1.5 million people.
Al-Khawaja has been held by Bahrain since the 2011 protests, which represented the largest demonstrations against Bahrain’s Al Khalifa royal family, which has ruled since 1783. Bahrain, along with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, violently put down the demonstrations. In the years since, low-level unrest has plagued Bahrain, with Shiite militant groups occasionally claiming attacks on security forces
Bahrain hosts the U.S. Navy's Mideast-based 5th Fleet and is considered by America as a major non-NATO ally. Bahrain also joined the UAE in diplomatically recognizing Israel in 2020 during the first term of U.S. President Donald Trump.
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