Bahrain: Human Rights activist nearing death after 55-days long hunger strike

From Bahrain Center for Human Rights:

GCHR: Urgent appeal to save the life of Bahraini human rights defender Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja, who is facing death

03 April 2012

Open letter to the United Nations/governments of Denmark, US, UK and all other governments and organizations concerned with human rights:

Today, April 3, 2012, human rights defender Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja, the founder of the Gulf Centre for Human Rights, enters day 55 of his hunger strike, which he began on February 8, pledging to sustain it until freedom or death. His health has deteriorated severely in a way that threatens his life, while the Bahraini government remains suspiciously silent about the dire situation.

We urge you to use your influence to immediately intervene in order to save the life of Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja, the internationally well-known and prestigious human rights defender. We call on you to demand from the government in Bahrain his immediate release and transfer to Denmark, where he holds dual Bahraini and Danish citizenship, so he can obtain the medical treatment he needs as a result of his current hunger strike and of the torture he endured while he was under arrest.

The time remains very short to act and we urge you now to take action to save the life of this unique human rights defender Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja, under the shadow of death.

Gulf Centre for Human Rights

Beirut - 03/04/2012