I got this from Amnesty International:
Call
for the immediate release of prisoner of conscience Abdulhadi
al-Khawaja: unjustly jailed, beaten and tortured for peacefully demanding democratic reform in Bahrain.
Abdulhadi al-Khawaja is a human rights activist and co-founder of The Bahrain Centre for Human Rights,
who faces life in prison after an unfair trial before a military court in
June 2011.
His crime? Being one of the leaders of popular and
overwhelmingly peaceful anti-government protests in February and March
2011.
At
the height of the so-called “Arab Spring” in early 2011, many thousands
of Bahrainis took to the streets demanding change. Security forces
reacted with a violent crackdown n which almost 50 people were killed
and
hundreds injured. Hundreds were arrested and tried
before military courts. Many are still imprisoned.
Security
forces detained Abdulhadi al-Khawaja in the middle of the night on
April 9, 2011. He was beaten so brutally during and after his arrest
that his jaw was broken. After several surgeries at the Bahrain Defence
Force military hospital in al-Riffa’, he was returned to prison only to
face further torture including the threat of sexual assault.
During their first visit in late 2011, Abdulhadi told his family "I really want to smile, but I can’t". His face is now held together by 18 plates and 36 screws.
During their first visit in late 2011, Abdulhadi told his family "I really want to smile, but I can’t". His face is now held together by 18 plates and 36 screws.
At trial, no evidence was ever presented that Abdulhadi had
committed any recognizable crime or used or advocated violence. And yet, he was sentenced to life imprisonment.
Sincerely,
Alex Neve
Secretary General,
Amnesty International Canada
Secretary General,
Amnesty International Canada
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