Dubai: Supporters of an activist in Bahrain who has been in detention for one year claim that he is in serious condition. An interior ministry official meanwhile, said he is being given medical care in accordance with regulations.
Abdul Hadi Al Khawaja, who has been on hunger strike since February 9, could suffer organ failure or die in jail after shedding 25 per cent of his body weight, his supporters claim. However, the interior ministry inspector-general in charge of overseeing the detainees' care said that Al Khawaja was brought to the hospital after his blood pressure dropped. "When it was discovered that his blood pressure was low on March 30, he was shifted to BDF Hospital for further assessment. His family was able to visit him while he was at the hospital, as well as after he had been returned to the detention centre the next day," the inspector-general said
Official records
Official records showed that Al Khawaja has lost around 10kg and was showing signs of low haemoglobin, but not at a critical level. The inspector-general said that the Reformation and Rehabilitation Director on Tuesday recommended that Al Khawaja be transferred to the clinic of the Public Security Fort for regular medical observation and care.
Al Khawaja was sentenced to life imprisonment after he was found guilty of attempting to topple the regime. A final verdict on his case, alongside 20 other defendants, is expected to be handed down by the Court of Cassation on April 23. The defendants were charged with establishing and managing terror groups to change the state royal regime by force and to change the constitution, communicating intelligence with an overseas terrorist organisation to commit hostile acts against Bahrain.
