Bahrain 1st-Hand: The AlKhawaja Story - Wife/Mother Speaks Out

With Zainab Alkhawaja in jail awaiting prosecution and her father Abdulhadi, now 81 days into a hunger strike, cut off from contact with his relatives from Monday until today, this has been a particularly difficult week for the family.

The Bahraini regime has been keen to reassure the world that Abdulhadi is in good health, but their decision to deny access to his family, lawyer and even the Danish Ambassador led to much speculation and concern over his condition. Authorities postponed the review of Abdulhadi's case, now scheduled to take place on 30 April. When the family was finally allowed to see him, they found that Abdulhadi was being drugged and force-fed with an energy drink, categorically against his wishes.

Today, Abdulhadi's wife Khadija al-Musawi wrote after she saw him and also spoke with her daughter Zainab:

#Bahrain Today it was a happy/sad day. Happy cus i saw my daughter Zainab and my dear husband Hadi.

— Khadija Almousawi (@tublani2010) April 29, 2012

#Bahrain and sad cus i had to listen to Zainab telling me how she was beaten and almost suffocated by the police and then she is accused.

— Khadija Almousawi (@tublani2010) April 29, 2012

#Bahrain Sad cus I had to listen to dear Hadi telling me how he was drugged, restrained, force fed and kept incommunicado for five days.

— Khadija Almousawi (@tublani2010) April 29, 2012

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Palestine Letter: Khader Adnan "Why I Am on Hunger Strike"

Palestinian Boys Protest for Khader AdnanTwitter is filled tonight with messages with the hashtag #KhaderExists for Khader Adnan, now in the 64th day of his hunger strike.

Adnan is in "administrative detention" in an Israeli jail, under which he can be held without charge indefinitely. Last week he explained in a letter, delivered by his lawyer, why he was persisting with his fast:

I started my battle offering my soul to God almighty and adamant to go ahead until righteousness triumphs over falsehood. I am defending my dignity and my people’s dignity and not doing this in vain. 

The Israeli occupation has gone to extremes against our people, especially prisoners. I have been humiliated, beaten, and harassed by interrogators for no reason, and thus I swore to God I would fight the policy of administrative detention to which I and hundreds of my fellow prisoners fell prey.

Here I am in a hospital bed surrounded with prison wardens, handcuffed, and my foot tied to the bed. The only thing I can do is offer my soul to God as I believe righteousness and justice will eventually triumph over tyranny and oppression.

I hereby assert that I am confronting the occupiers not for my own sake as an individual, but for the sake of thousands of prisoners who are being deprived of their simplest human rights while the world and international community look on.
"It is time the international community and the UN support prisoners and force the State of Israel to respect international human rights and stop treating prisoners as if they were not humans.