Back عبد الهادي الخواجة Arabic عبد الهادى الخواجه ARZ Abdulhádí Chavádža Czech Abdulhadi al-Khawaja Danish عبدالهادی الخواجه Persian Abdulhadi al-Khawaja French Abdulhadi al-Khawaja Hausa עבד אלהאדי אל-חוואג'ה HE Abdulhadi al-Khawaja ID Abdulhadi al-Khawaja NB
 | This article needs to be updated. The reason given is: No information about him since 2012. (April 2021) |
Abdulhadi al-Khawaja | |
|---|---|
 Abdulhadi al-Khawaja taking part in a pro-democracy protest in February 2011 | |
| Born | Abdulhadi Abdulla Hubail al-Khawaja 5 April 1961 |
| Nationality |  Danish and  Bahraini |
| Occupation | Human rights defender |
| Years active | 1979–present |
| Criminal charge(s) | organizing and managing a terrorist organization, attempt to overthrow the government by force and in liaison with a terrorist organization working for a foreign country and the collection of money for a terrorist group |
| Spouse | Khadija Almousawi [1] |
| Children | Maryam and Zainab 2 other daughters [2] |
Abdulhadi Abdulla Hubail al-Khawaja (Arabic: عبد الهادي عبد الله حبيل الخواجة, romanized: ʻAbd al-Hādī ʻAbd Allāh Ḥubayl al-Khawājah; born 5 April 1961) is a Bahraini political activist. On 22 June 2011, al-Khawaja and eight others were sentenced to life imprisonment following the suppression of pro-democracy protests against the Bahraini government. Al-Khawaja has previously gone on a series of hunger strikes while serving his life sentence, in protest of the political conditions in Bahrain.
He is former president[3] and co-founder[4] of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR), a nonprofit non-governmental organization which works to promote human rights in Bahrain.[5] He has held a number of positions and played various roles in regional and international human rights organizations.
On 9 April 2011, al-Khawaja was arrested and tried as part of a campaign of repression by the Bahraini authorities following pro-democracy protests in the Bahraini uprising. Front Line Defenders expressed fear for his life following allegations of torture and sexual assault in detention.[6] Al-Khawaja was sentenced on 22 June 2011, along with eight other activists, to life imprisonment.[7] On 8 February 2012, he started an open-ended hunger strike until "freedom or death", protesting continuing detentions in Bahrain.[8] The strike lasted for 110 days, and resulted in al-Khawaja being force-fed by authorities.[9]
Until February 2011, al-Khawaja was the Middle East and North Africa Protection Coordinator with Front Line Defenders – the International Foundation for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders.[10][11][12] He is also a member of the International Advisory Network in the Business and Human Rights Resource Center chaired by Mary Robinson,[4][13] former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.[14]
Al-Khawaja is a member of the advisory board of the Damascus Center for Human Rights Studies[14][15] and also an expert adviser for and member of the coordinating committee of the Arab Group for Monitoring Media Performance monitoring the media in Bahrain and six other Arab countries.[14][16] Al-Khawaja was part of Amnesty International's fact-finding mission in Iraq,[14] and has been a researcher and project consultant for Amnesty and other international organizations.[14] His human rights campaigning activities have been acknowledged by the International Conference of Human Rights Defenders in Dublin, and he was named by the Arab Program for Human Rights Defenders as its Regional Activist of 2005.[14]
- ^ Gianluca Mezzofiori (25 April 2012). "Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, Bahraini Hunger Strike Activist, Disappears from Hospital". International Business Times. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
- ^ "Bahrain to retry hunger striker, protest leaders | Kuwait Times". Archived from the original on 30 July 2012. Retrieved 1 May 2012.
- ^ Staff writer (10 May 2011). "Another Bahraini Crime: Rights Activist's Jawbones Smashed Under Torture". Al-Manar. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
- ^ a b Staff writer. "About us". Business & Human Rights Resource Center. Archived from the original on 17 July 2011. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
- ^ Bahrain Center for Human Rights website Archived 21 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 17 May 2011
- ^ Staff writer (17 May 2011). "Bahrain: Front Line fears for life of Abdulhadi Alkhawaja amid credible allegations of torture and sexual assault". Front Line. Archived from the original on 5 December 2011. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Guardian 22 June 2011was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Bahraini activist Maryam Al Khawaja". Archived from the original on 2 May 2012. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
BBC285was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Staff writer (11 March 2011). "Bahrain: Death threats against human rights defenders Messrs Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja, Mohammed Al-Maskati and Naji Fateel". Front Line. Archived from the original on 3 April 2011. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
- ^ "Bahrain: International trial observer refused entry – serious concern for the health and safety of Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja", Front Line, 13 May 2011 Archived 3 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
- ^ Staff writer (18 February 2009). "Bahrain: Charges against human rights defender Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja". Front Line. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
- ^ [ "About us", International Advisory Network]. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f Staff writer (9 September 2007). "BCHR: Bahraini Authorities Persistent Campaign Defaming Human Rights Defenders: Signals Possible Crackdown". Bahrain Centre for Human Rights. Archived from the original on 2 January 2015. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
- ^ "About us", Damascus Center for Human Rights studies Archived 4 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
- ^ "The Arab Working Group for Media Monitoring (AWG-MM) condemns the aggressions on journalists in SYRIA, YEMEN, BAHRAIN and LIBYA", The Arab Working Group for Media Monitoring Archived 26 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 11 July 2011.