Bahrainis took to the streets Friday protesting the regime’s policies and demanding the freedom of the political detainees, specifically rights activist Abdul Hadi Khawaja who is facing death due to the serious deterioration in his state of health.Massive demonstrations under the name of Khawaja took place in various Bahraini regions. One of them was in A’ali Roundabout in the Bahraini city of Salmabad, which included political figures like Al-Wefaq National Islamic Society Secretary General Sheikh Ali Salman who stated that Khawaja’s health state is like a “time bomb”.
Other protests took place in Nuwaidrat, Karzakan, Sanabes, Jidd Hafs, and other cities, facing strong oppression by the security forces.
Khawaja has been on a food strike for almost two months now, and observers announced that he is approaching death.
His lawyer Mohammad Al-Jashi stated that Khawaja was moved to a military hospital where he was fed through his veins after his blood pressure dropped.
The Bahraini Information Affairs Authority stated earlier that Khawaja has lost 10 kilo grams, and that his daughter Zeinab was arrested on Thursday while joining a protest near the Interior Ministry.
For his part, Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Khalid Al-Khalifa settled for criticizing Khawaja’s hunger strike, and wondered on his account on Twitter about the religious legitimacy of “self-starvation”.
Abdul Hadi Khawaja, who has been under arrest since the 8th of April, 2011, was reportedly tortured and physically violated during detention, which urged him to go on hunger strike to force an end to this treatment.
Head of the Clerics’ Council of Bahrain Ayatollah Sheikh Issa Qassem criticized the Bahraini regime’s “oppressive” policy during his Friday speech.
“All this is taking place, the oppression and poisoning of people is intensifying, and Khawaja’s health is severely deteriorating, under the eyes of the Arab League which claims defending religion and rights, and America which claims supporting democracy and freedom in the world,” Sheikh Qassem said.
In parallel, Al-Wefaq Society sent urgent letters to the UN secretary general and other leaders, and called upon them to intervene to save the life of Khawaja.
Source: Al Manar TV
07-04-2012 - 12:58 Last updated 07-04-2012 - 13:01
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