Bahraini hunger striker granted retrial

Activist Abdulhadi Al Khawaja was sentenced by a military court to life in prison for plotting against the state.

BAHRAINI ACTIVIST Abdulhadi Al Khawaja has won a retrial in a civil court, according to an appeals ruling in Bahrain.

Al Khawaja, 51, has been on hunger strike since 8 February in protest over his detention for allegedly plotting against the state.

A military court sentenced him to life in prison along with seven other activists as part of the government’s crackdown on political dissent.

He previously worked for the Dublin-based human rights group Frontline Defenders, which has been calling on international governments to put pressure on Bahrain and support his release.

Twenty other activists convicted alongside Al Kawaja have also been granted a retrial.

The story behind the giant banner on St Stephen’s Green >

Hunger-striking Bahraini activist begins appeal against life sentence >

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