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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Ruth Michaelson

Daughter of Danish-Bahraini rights activist offers to take his place in prison

Maryam al-Khawaja, daughter of jailed human rights activist Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, outside court in Manama, during her 2014 trial over charges of assaulting police.
Maryam al-Khawaja, daughter of human rights activist Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, outside court in Manama, during her 2014 trial over charges of assaulting police. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images

Human rights activist Abdulhadi al-Khawaja’s health has suffered so much inside a Bahraini prison that his daughter Maryam has offered to trade places with him. She fears that without urgent action, her father will slowly die behind bars without being able to see his family.

“I don’t know how much longer my dad has. I spend every day dreading each time the phone rings, as it might be someone calling me to let me know my dad is no longer around,” said Maryam. “I know he has serious health issues and the authorities are using [lack of] access to proper treatment as a method of punishment. I don’t want to wait around for my dad to be released to us in a coffin. I can’t do that.”

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