Inmates at a Bahrain prison have launched a hunger strike to protest against the conditions they are being held in, according to activists and authorities. The strike is taking place at the Jaw Rehabilitation and Reform Center, which is known for holding dissidents who oppose the rule of the Al Khalifa family. The prisoners’ demands include the right to worship, an end to daily 23-hour lockdowns, fair treatment, and adequate healthcare. The prisoners’ statement emphasized the critical nature of their demands, stating that they are necessary for human life.
The hunger strike started on Monday in two prison blocks and expanded to three more blocks on Tuesday, according to Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei, an exiled activist with the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy. The exact number of participants in the hunger strike is yet to be independently confirmed, but audio messages from the prisoners have been shared by activists.
Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, an imprisoned activist who played a leading role in the 2011 Arab Spring protests, joined the hunger strike on Wednesday. Al-Khawaja, who is serving a life sentence, had previously gone on a lengthy hunger strike in 2012, which was condemned by a United Nations panel as “arbitrary.”
Concerns about the prisoners’ well-being and the possibility of further deterioration were expressed by al-Khawaja’s daughter, Maryam. She stated, “I don’t want my father to be released to us in a coffin.”
In response to questions from the Associated Press, Bahrain’s General Directorate of Reform and Rehabilitation acknowledged that some inmates had “returned their meals” on Tuesday. However, the government did not provide any specific numbers regarding the hunger strike participants. The Bahraini authorities asserted that the prison allowed Shiites to observe Ashoura, a Shiite religious observance, and that prisoners retained access to their full rights and healthcare.
The Jaw Rehabilitation and Reform Center, located in southern Bahrain, has previously come under scrutiny for its medical care standards. In June 2022, prisoners’ families reported a tuberculosis outbreak at the facility. Although the government denied the occurrence of an outbreak, a 24-hour clinic was inaugurated at the prison several months later, according to the U.S. State Department’s human rights report on Bahrain.
Bahrain has faced continued criticism for its crackdown on dissent since the Arab Spring protests were suppressed with the assistance of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. In addition to imprisoning activists and stripping hundreds of individuals of their citizenship, the Bahraini government has closed the country’s leading independent newspaper. Despite this, Bahrain has forged diplomatic ties with Israel and hosted Pope Francis in November 2021.