Washington D.C. – Human Rights Watch, December 16, 2024
Today, December 16, 2024, Danish-Bahraini human rights defender Abdulhadi al-Khawaja has endured 5,000 days of arbitrary detention in Bahrain.
We, the undersigned, condemn Bahrain for the arbitrary detention and brutal torture of Mr. al-Khawaja and call on the King of Bahrain to release him immediately and unconditionally. We also express our disappointment that Denmark has failed in its responsibility to secure the release of its citizen for over 13 years.
Exactly 5,000 days ago, on the night of April 8-9, 2011, Mr. al-Khawaja was arrested and severely beaten by plain clothes security forces. He was held in solitary confinement and subjected to physical, psychological, and sexual torture. The Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry medically documented the torture and assault suffered by political prisoners, including Mr. al-Khawaja. However, after 5,000 days, Mr. al-Khawaja has not received adequate treatment for multiple serious medical problems, many of which were inflicted by the Bahraini state.
In 2012, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention ruled that Mr. al-Khawaja’s detention was arbitrary, in violation of international law, and called for his ‘immediate release’ and ‘an enforceable right to compensation’. However, 5,000 days on from the brutal arrest and assault in April 2011, Mr. al-Khawaja remains in arbitrary detention.
