Gulf NGOs Warn Bahrain over Jailed Activist's Health
Civil society groups in Gulf States on Wednesday warned Bahraini authorities over the life of a jailed activist who has been on a hunger strike for almost two months and demanded his release.
"The Bahraini government and the ruling family will be held responsible for any harm resulting from the ongoing (hunger) strike of rights activist Abduhadi al-Khawaja," said a statement by the Gulf Forum for Civil Societies signed by its secretary general Anwar al-Rasheed.
Khawaja, who was condemned with other opposition activists to life in jail over an alleged plot to topple the Bahraini monarchy during a month-long protest a year ago, began his hunger strike on the night of February 8-9.
The Forum, which groups several mostly liberal civil societies in the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, also urged for Arab and international pressure on Bahrain to free Khawaja and other activists.
Front Line Defenders, a Dublin-based non-governmental organization, warned Tuesday after a visit to Manama that Khawaja, who it said has shed 25 percent of his body weight, could die in jail as he is "at risk of organ failure."
Source: Agence France Presse
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