The Solidarity Committee with Abdul-Hadi Al-Khuwaja
18th November 2004

The Solidarity Committee with Abdul-Hadi Al-Khuwaja expresses its great fear for the deteriorating health of Abdul-Hadi, prisoner of conscience, who has been on a hunger strike in his prison cell since Sunday, 14th November 2004.
Abdul-Hadi is demanding the release of 13 other detainees who were arrested after participating in rallies which were organized about three weeks ago calling for his own release. He is also demanding that all charges against the protesters must be dropped.
Abdul-Hadi started his hunger strike by refusing to drink water or eat food as a gesture of protest against the arrest of his supporters. Since last Sunday , which resulted in deteriorating his own health. He was visited by a medical doctor from the Ministry of Interior for a check-up last Monday. He lost his strength and looked rather pale. He gasps after every few words he utters.
The other 13 detainees including Mr. Abdul Raoof Al Shayeb, another prominent human rights activist, were also on a hunger strike whose health were deteriorating and some have been taken to the hospital for treatment. The Committee have called upon them to break their hunger strike to avoid any further health deterioration.
Abdul-Hadi was detained on 25th September 2004 after delivering a speech on poverty and economic rights in Bahrain in which he held the Prime Minister responsible for economic woes and human rights violations. He is boycotting his trial as he believes the Penal Code of 1976 was unconstitutional and was meant for ‘National Security Act’.
Abdul-Hadi was forcibly taken into the court room by few policemen in the last hearing session. Bruises were all over his feeble body . Abdul-Hadi in fact showed the judge the marks of being mistreated. He requested the judge to order for an immediate investigation to look into the abuses he had suffered; nevertheless, the judge decided to hand down the final verdict on the next session on Sunday 21st November 2004.

عبد الهادي الخواجة
ينقل للمستشفى العسكري في حالة حرجة

وصلنا تقرير يفيد نقل الناشط الحقوقي عبد الهادي الخواجة للمستشفى العسكري بعد ان اغمي عليه نتيجة انهيار كامل في قواه وعدم قدرته على الحركة او الكلام.
وتجدر الإشارة الى أن الخواجة قد بدأ اضرابه عن الطعام والماء من بعد ظهر الأحد الفائت إحتجاجاً على الإعتقال التعسفي واحتجاز السلطة ل29 مواطناً شاركوا في النشاطات السلمية التي دعت لها لجنة التضامن في 28 أكتوبر ضمن فعالياتها المطالبة بالإفراج عنه وعودة مركز البحرين لحقوق الإنسان. وقد أفرجت النيابة في وقت سابق عن 16 وأحتجزت 13 حتى الخميس 26 نوفمبر حيث سيتم إستدعائهم للنيابة العامة للمرة الثالثة منذ يوم إعتقالهم. وقد أعلن الخواجة بأنه لن يفك الإضراب حتى يفرج عن جميع من أعتقل تضامناً معه.
وقد ناشدت لجنة التضامن مع الخواجة المنظمات الحقوقية للتدخل لإنقاذ حياته المعرضة للخطر بعد ان بدت آثار التدهور على صحته وهناك قلقٌ كبير عليه.

لجنة التضامن مع
الحقوقي الخواجة
المنامة - البحرين
18 نوفمبر 2004م
الساعة التاسعة
والنصف مساء