September 01, 2014

Bahraini human rights leader arrested, nationality revoked

editor:	Vanessa Ellingham

Prominent human rights defender Maryam Al-Khawaja was detained at Bahrain International Airport on Saturday morning and told by security officials that not only was she no longer welcome in Bahrain, but her Bahraini nationality had been revoked.

Al-Khawaja is the Co-Director of the Gulf Centre for Human Rights.

Once in detention at the airport, Al-Khawaja was denied access to legal counsel and proof of the revocation of her nationality.

She has since declared a hunger strike until she is allowed into the country to visit her father who is has been on hunger strike in prison for the past week.

Maryam Al-Khawaja made this statement to the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights before losing connection with her family:

“If this letter has gone public then it means that the Bahraini authorities have not let me into the country. Due to this, I have decided to launch a water-only hunger strike and to refuse to leave the Bahraini airport. I will continue the hunger strike until I am allowed in to Bahrain to see my father. I want to make it clear that I refuse any and all food or treatment during my hunger strike.”

On Sunday evening the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy issued this update: "Maryam Al-Khawaja was transferred to Isa Town Women’s Prison following her interrogation at the Public Prosecution. She was questioned without a lawyer and spent the night in a jail cell."

Al-Khawaja's arbitrary detention and deprivation of citizenship violates the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and must be condemned.