Al Khawaja’s family said he stopped eating on August 9, and two days later was taken to intensive care with a serious heart problem and was put on an intravenous drip. On August 29, he was taken to the hospital again, where he spent five and a half hours in the emergency room before being stabilized. His daughter Mariam al-Khawaja risks arrest and life in prison as she plans to fly home this week to draw attention to his plight. She was arrested on her last visit in 2014, but was released a month later due to international pressure.
Like her father, she has dual nationality of Bahraini and Denmark. Mr Al Khawaja’s health is deteriorating and the Bahrain government may compassionately offer him release to Copenhagen so that he can receive the care he needs. Bahraini authorities may also allow local UN representatives and independent doctors access to prisons so they can see for themselves the conditions of prisoners.
Government officials insist there are no political prisoners in the country, that they follow international rules and that all prisoners receive the same medical care as the general public. The General Directorate of Reform and Rehabilitation maintains that al-Khawaja’s “health condition is stable and there are no serious concerns” and that he stopped participating in the hunger strike on August 16. According to his daughter, Mr. Al Khawaja only drinks juice and coffee milk when he goes to bed. He faints. But human rights groups say some prisoners who have stopped eating have been isolated, denied care and beaten by guards.
Bahrain is showing signs of progress. In May, parliament repealed a law that allowed rapists to escape punishment if they married their victims. However, Saudi Arabia brutally suppressed large-scale uprisings with the support of the Saudi military during the Arab Spring. Thousands were rounded up. Hundreds of people were stripped of their citizenship. Independent media and opposition political parties were outlawed.
Bahrain’s Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa’s visit to Washington is aimed at demonstrating U.S. staying power in the Persian Gulf and highlighting the value of our strategic partnership. Bahrain is officially a major non-NATO ally and home to the US Navy’s 5th Fleet. This gives Washington leverage.
The Biden administration should use this to help al-Khawaja and other prisoners. The crown prince, once seen as a moderate influence within the royal family, replaced his great-uncle as prime minister in November 2020. The hunger strike gives the crown prince an opportunity to demonstrate his statesmanship. The authorities should not have arrested Al Khawaja, who came to see his father. They should send him to Denmark in her care.