5,000 Days of Arbitrary Detention: HRW Call for Abdulhadi al-Khawaja’s Release

Danish-Bahraini human rights defender Abdulhadi al-Khawaja marked 5,000 days of arbitrary detention in Bahrain on Monday, December 16, Human Rights Watch website reported.

Arrested on April 8-9, 2011, al-Khawaja has faced severe torture and solitary confinement, with documented abuses by the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry.

Despite a UN ruling declaring his detention arbitrary and calling for his immediate release, al-Khawaja remains imprisoned. The U.S. State Department’s recent human rights report highlights ongoing abuses in Bahrain, yet the U.S. maintains close ties with the country, home to its Fifth Fleet.

Al-Khawaja, a Nobel Peace Prize nominee and founder of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights, has not received adequate medical treatment for serious health issues stemming from his detention. Signatories, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, urge both the Bahraini and Danish governments to secure his release and address the plight of all political prisoners.