Bahrain Mirror (Exclusive): Amnesty International sent an appeal yesterday to release prisoner of conscience Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja.

Amnesty urged its followers to write to the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, and call upon him to release Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja immediately and unconditionally as he is a prisoner of conscience imprisoned solely for the peaceful exercise of his human rights.

The organization urged in its letter to ensure Al-Khawaja has timely access to adequate health care, consistent with international human rights standards; that he receives timely information about his access to care; and that he is protected from further torture and other ill-treatment.

His daughter, Zaynab Al-Kahwaja, thanked yesterday every parliamentarian who got up at the IPU assembly and brought up her father's case "in a country where they have made it almost impossible for anybody to speak up for political prisoners." She also thanked everybody who is speaking up on behalf of her father "not only because they brought up his case, but because in bringing up his case they are highlighting the cases of hundreds of other political prisoners who are going through what my father is going through."

Danish and Norwegian MPs participating in the IPU conference called on Bahrain to release Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja and transfer him to Denmark to receive treatment after his health deteriorated.

His daughter and human rights activist Maryam Al-Khawaja sent an urgent appeal through twitter to exert all kinds of pressure to save the life of her father, Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja. 

Al-Khawaja addressed Hamad Al Khalifa, Salman Al Khalifa and the Interior Ministry, through a video on Twitter, saying "I'm willing to swap places with my father so he can receive the urgent medical treatment he needs in Denmark"

Maryam said in a previous tweet "Al-Khawaja taken to emergency hospital due to urgent heart issue, denied access to cardiologist."

Arabic Version