(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - "His wife was told that his pulse is so weak he may go into cardiac arrest at any minute. Time is short and Abdulhadi al-Khawaja may die at any time," Mariam al-Khawaja, his daughter, said in a statement.
Abdulhadi, 51, also a Danish citizen and founder of the Persian Gulf Center for Human Rights, was sentenced to life in prison in June 2011 for organizing peaceful protests calling for democratic reform in Bahrain.
After returning from a trip to Bahrain this week, Mary Lawlor, executive director of Front Line Defenders, said that the activist is "at serious risk of imminent organ failure."
She also reported that he has "shed 25 per cent of his body weight." On 4 April he was transferred to a prison clinic for observation.
Despite official documentation of his torture in prison and several calls for his release, al-Khawaja still remains imprisoned.
Meanwhile, protests and demonstrations demanding the release of al-Khawaja took place all over Bahrain.
Al-Wefaq opposition party revealed that "security forces attacked and dispersed the protests by shooting excessive amounts of tear gas. It further urged "the international community to intervene to pressure Bahrain's authorities to release Abdulhadi."
"He started a hunger strike demanding the freedom of all political prisoners, he has not committed any crime, thus he deserves a humane treatment disregarding his political views and opinions," the party said in its statement.
"This is an appeal on behalf of the Bahraini people to the international community to act urgently in any possible way to save the life of Abdulhadi al-Khawaja," al-Wefaq said.
Abdulhadi's dire situation was compounded when his daughter, Zainab al-Khawaja, was reportedly arrested on Thursday for protesting for her father's release outside of the hospital where al-Khawaja is being held.
Zainab recently wrote a poem about her father entitled, "The sultan digs my father's grave," in which she grimly describes watching her father dying. Despite feeling despair, she describes her father as being "tranquil" and pushing her to remain committed to fighting for human rights.
"[Her] lawyer Mohammed Aljeshi stated that she will be detained until Saturday 7 April to present her case to the public prosecution."
Al-Wefaq confirmed the news adding that "in a phone call to her husband, Zainab announced starting a hunger strike in solidarity with her father."
For her part, Mariam al-Khawaja, who also serves as the Head of Foreign Relations for the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights, wrote on Thursday that she finds it "difficult to remain impartial" and avoid focusing on more personal causes, but continues to persevere, fearing the moment when she will receive a phone call telling her father is dead.
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