Bahrain Mirror: Heba Morayef, Amnesty International's Middle East and North Africa Director, demanded the immediate and unconditional release of detainee Dr. Abduljalil Al-Singace and other prisoners, including Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja and Hassan Mushaima, who were convicted for exercising their right to freedom of expression and assembly. 

Members of the House of Lords Paul Scriven wrote via his Twitter account: "Dr. Abduljalil Al-Singace is an academic, engineer and human rights pioneer who has served over a decade of unlawful imprisonment in Bahrain. Today is Day 5 of his hunger strike," adding that there are two demands "humane treatment, return of a book he spent years working on." Lord Scriven said that the UK government should not be silent.

Americans for Democracy and Human Rights in Bahrain condemned the violations practiced against political opponent Abduljalil Al-Singace, who is sentenced to life in Jaw Prison which contains a number of activists, demanding the Interior Ministry to immediately release all political prisoners.

According to Bahraini human rights centers, Al-Singace announced his open hunger strike last Thursday to protest the degrading treatment he was subjected to by the officer in charge in Jaw prison, Mohammad Yousef, after the latter confiscated his research, which he spent four years writing. The officer also prevents Al-Singace from making phone calls to meet his urgent needs.

International human rights organizations and journalists called for pressure on the Bahraini government for Al-Singace's immediate and unconditional release being a writer and blogger.

The Bahraini dissident suffers from Poliomyelitis and Sickle Cell Anemia with symptoms including chronic pain, limb numbness and shortness of breath, which has led to a serious deterioration in his health, especially that Jaw prison has been witnessing an outbreak of Coronavirus since March due to the prison administration negligence and its failure to implement appropriate health measures. Reports indicate that one of the prisoners, Hussein Barakat, had died of Coronavirus complications.

The strike, announced by Al-Singace according to human rights activists, is not his first. On March 21, 2015, he started a hunger strike to protest the policy of collective punishment, degrading practices and torture he and others were being subjected to, as well as the deterioration of general conditions in the prison.

Since his arrest, Al-Singace's health has deteriorated sharply, due to his denial from receiving the necessary medical treatment and not being examined by specialist doctors for nearly four years, as well as being denied support to help him walk. This made him fall several times, which posed a threat to his life, as he was often subjected to fainting, severe and sudden dropping in glucose level , limb numbness and loss of consciousness. 

Abduljalil Al-Singace is an academic, blogger and human rights activist. He was arrested for his role in 2011 peaceful protests. He is a member of the Bahrain 13 group which includes a number of political leaders who were arrested for their role in the democratic movement in Bahrain in 2011. Dr. Abduljalil Al-Singace was tortured and sentenced to life in prison.

Arabic Version