Archive for September 15th, 2023

National Public Radio: Bahraini human rights activist Maryam al-Khawaja is going back to her country knowing she may be arrested upon arrival. But she says she is taking the risk to make sure her father, Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, is getting the medical treatment he needs in prison. He’s been there for 12 years, sentenced to life for his role in pro-democracy demonstrations in the midst of a wave of uprisings in the Middle East. Those demonstrations were suppressed, and her father is among hundreds of political prisoners in the Gulf Kingdom who’ve been demanding better treatment. Maryam al-Khawaja didn’t share the date of her arrival for her safety, but before her trip home, she said this: “I’m terrified of going back to prison. But I think that saving my father’s life is more important than my fear.”

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