Abdulhadi al-Khawaja

Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja is a prominent human rights defender and Danish citizen who was detained in 2011 in Bahrain after having been part of peaceful protests calling for fundamental freedoms in the country. He remains in prison until this day.

Home

Al-Khawaja is a life-long human rights defender, activist and leader, founder and former president of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, co-founder of the Gulf Center for Human Rights, former MENA Protection Coordinator at Front Line Defenders, published writer and poet, Nobel Peace Prize nominee, husband, father, and grandfather.

Al-Khawaja has always believed in human rights, solidarity building, and transformational change, and he has fiercely defended his beliefs for decades. For Al-Khawaja, no person is larger than the cause, and for him, progress is obtained when we find the leader within ourselves.

Al-Khawaja’s voice remains a beacon of hope for change and he has courageously inspired others to shape their own political demands.**
Al-Khawaja is a dual Danish-Bahraini citizen. He has been in prison for over 11 years and he is in urgent need of international help. We kindly ask for your support in calling for his release.

Al-Khawaja is the winner of four prominent human rights awards:

Home

Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders 2022

Home

Dignity World Wihout Torture 2013

Home

Politiken Freedom Award 2012

Home

Freedom House Freedom Award 2012

Home

latest news:

All news
Press release: Al-Khawaja taken to emergency hospital due to urgent heart issue, denied access to cardiologist
Mar 26, 2023

Press release: Al-Khawaja again denied access to cardiologist, despite risk of heart attack or stroke

26 March 2023  As previously stated, over three weeks ago, Al-Khawaja was taken to an emergency hospital due to an urgent heart issue, and subsequently denied access to a cardiologist. After raising pressure on the authorities both in Bahrain as well as internationally, the Ba...
Read more
The Notorious "Turkish Armored Vehicle": A Symbol of Inhumane Treatment of Prisoners in Bahrain
Mar 24, 2023

The Notorious “Turkish Armored Vehicle”: A Symbol of Inhumane Treatment of Prisoners in Bahrain

The Turkish Armored Vehicle Description:  The Turkish Armored Vehicle, also known as the “Turkish Bus,” is a notorious symbol of inhumane treatment of prisoners in Bahrain. It is primarily used to transfer prisoners from one location to another. The metal body of t...
Read more
Press release: Al-Khawaja taken to emergency hospital due to urgent heart issue, denied access to cardiologist
Mar 15, 2023

International Parliamentarians’ Assembly held in Bahrain turns into a “PR disaster” amidst calls for political prisoners’ release

The Inter-Parliamentary Union’s (IPU) 146th assembly, which is taking place in Sakhir, Bahrain, from 11 to 15 March 2023, has turned into a PR disaster for the host state, exposing its imprisonment of political prisoners and the revocation of visas for Human Rights Watch resea...
Read more
Press release: Al-Khawaja's urgent need for medical evacuation to Denmark builds as wait for cardiological access is prolonged 
Mar 07, 2023

Press release: Al-Khawaja’s urgent need for medical evacuation to Denmark builds as wait for cardiological access is prolonged 

7 March 2023  As previously stated, last week Al-Khawaja was taken to an emergency hospital due to an urgent heart issue, and subsequently denied access to a cardiologist. Today, the Bahraini regime put out a public statement claiming that Al-Khawaja has been given an appointm...
Read more
نداء عاجل:  نقل الخواجة إلى مستشفى الطوارئ بسبب مشكلة قلبية حرجة، ومنعه من الحصول على معاينة من قبل أخصائي قلبية.
Mar 02, 2023

Urgent Appeal: Al-Khawaja taken to emergency hospital due to urgent heart issue, denied access to cardiologist

2 March 2023 – Al-Khawaja informed his family that he was taken by ambulance to an emergency room on the eve of 28 February due to an urgent heart issue, which puts him at immediate risk of both heart attack and stroke. Al-Khawaja was transferred by ambulance from Jau Prison, ...
Read more
Abdul-Hadi Al-Khawaja: Letter from a Bahraini Prison
Jan 07, 2023

Abdul-Hadi Al-Khawaja: Letter from a Bahraini Prison

On 5 January 2023, from Jau Prison, imprisoned Bahraini human rights defender, Abdul-Hadi Al-Khawaja, sent a voice note in which he dictated a letter addressed to the President of the Second High Criminal Court of Appeal in Bahrain.
Read more