Abdulhadi Alkhawaja has entered his 56th day of a hunger strike and is now in a critical phase where his life is at stake.
UPDATE: Urgent appeal: Abdulhadi Alkhawaja may be on his deathbed (BCHR, 18 April 2012)
(BCHR/IFEX) – 03 April 2012 – Prominent human rights defender Abdulhadi Alkhawaja, who is on his 55th day of hunger strike, is entering a critical phase where his life is at stake. Alkhawaja had two doctors accompanying him at all times last night and today he is being moved to the fort prison due to lack of the necessary medical equipment in the central Jaw prison. There are fears that he may go into a coma at any time, as his blood sugar and blood pressure have both dropped even further.
Alkhawaja and another 13 prominent leaders had their case taken to the Court of Cassation yesterday, where lawyers requested that they be released pending the court’s decision. The judge refused the request and announced that the decision would be read on the 23rd of April.
The BCHR urges the Bahraini government to immediately release Abdulhadi Alkhawaja on humanitarian grounds as his life is in serious danger, approaching a situation where there may be irreparable damage to his physical well-being if he survives. We urge the government to take into consideration the deteriorating health condition of Abdulhadi Alkhawaja, which cannot wait until the court’s decision. Any damage to the health of Abdulhadi Alkhawaja will be the responsibility of the Bahraini government.
