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Bahrain activist Al-Khawaja to end hunger strike, says lawyer | |
(about 1 hour later) | |
Bahraini human rights activist Abdulhadi al-Khawaja is to end his 110-day hunger strike on Monday evening, his lawyer says. | Bahraini human rights activist Abdulhadi al-Khawaja is to end his 110-day hunger strike on Monday evening, his lawyer says. |
Mohammed al-Jishi made the announcement on the micro-blogging website, Twitter. | Mohammed al-Jishi made the announcement on the micro-blogging website, Twitter. |
Mr Khawaja, a Shia Muslim, is an outspoken critic of Bahrain's ruling Sunni royal family and he has been convicted of trying to depose them. | |
Mr Khawaja's decision follows the release on bail of another detained Bahraini activist, Nabeel Rajab. | |
Mr Rajab was arrested on 5 May at Manama airport on his return from the Lebanese capital, Beirut. | |
He is charged with using social networking sites to incite illegal rallies and defame Bahrain's security forces. | |
Protest 'success' | |
Mr Khawaja, 51, began fasting as a protest against his imprisonment after being sentenced by a military court in June 2011. | |
Lawyer Mr Jishi told Reuters news agency: "The strike has generally achieved its results to shed light on the case of the detainees in Bahrain." | |
Mr Khawaja and 20 others were convicted of plotting to overthrow the state by the National Safety Court, a military tribunal. Seven of them, including Mr Khawaja, were sentenced to life. | |
But in April, Bahrain's highest court, the Court of Cassation, threw out their convictions and ordered a retrial, although they were not released. | |
At a court appearance last week Mr Khawaja was in a wheelchair. | |
Mr Rajab, who has 140,000 Twitter followers, is a vocal critic of Bahrain's ruler, King Hamad al-Khalifa. | |
Lawyer Mr Jishi, who also represents Mr Rajab, told AFP news agency that his client had been ordered to pay 300 Bahraini dinars ($796; £500) and still faces a travel ban. | |
Mr Rajab, a Shia Muslim and head of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights, last appeared in court on 16 May. | |
Since February 2011, Bahrain's government and Sunni ruling royal family have faced fierce opposition from mainly Shia activists. | |
Bahrain's monarchy has made concessions, but not enough to satisfy protesters. Bahraini security forces have repeatedly clashed with protesters. |