Bahrain Mirror: Bahrain ignored the request of the Danish delegation to the Inter-Parliamentary Union conference, held in Manama a few days ago, to visit prisoner of conscience Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja in Jaw Central Prison.

Amnesty said that the Danish delegation's request to visit him in prison was ignored.

Amnesty said that Al-Khawaja, 61, was transferred to Jaw prison's clinic in the early evening on 28 February 2023. He underwent an electrocardiogram (ECG) and the doctor advised that he should be transferred to the Bahrain Defence Force (BDF) hospital.

"Abdulhadi AlKhawaja agreed to the transfer having received assurances by the prison authorities that he would not be handcuffed. At the emergency room in the BDF hospital he underwent another ECG and he received an intravenous injection which stabilized his heartbeat. The doctor stated that he must be urgently referred to a cardiologist."

While Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja's treatment was finishing in the BDF hospital and he was still in the treatment room, a plain clothed man introducing himself as the head of security of the hospital ordered that he be handcuffed. Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja refused to be handcuffed and left the room. He was returned to prison, and he did not see and was not assessed by a cardiologist.

In an article published by the daily newspaper Al-Ayam on 7 March 2023, the administration of government hospitals stated that an appointment with a cardiologist was scheduled for Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja for 19 March. Neither Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja nor his family had been informed. Amnesty demanded Al-Khawaja's release.

Parliamentarians from Denmark, Sweden, Ireland, Iceland, the Netherlands, Finland and Norway called on Bahrain, during the conference, to release Al-Khawaja, who is serving a life term sentence in Jaw prison for his role in leading peaceful protests in 2011. 

Arabic Version