The Gulf Centre for human rights (GCHR) expresses grave concern over the well-being of prisoners who have been hunger-striking in Bahrain’s Jaw prison. While welcoming the news that prominent human rights defender Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja, a co-founder of GCHR and the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR), suspended his hunger strike after two days, GCHR calls for his immediate release.

Al-Khawaja, a Bahraini and Danish citizen, announced that he would begin a hunger strike on 29 October 2025, to protest his prolonged and unlawful detention since 2011, in addition to the deterioration of conditions in the prison. Other prisoners began a hunger strike earlier in October, and remain on hunger strike.

Despite the fact that Al-Khawaja is already 10 kilograms underweight and has a heart condition that could worsen – or even end his life – if he engaged in a hunger strike, he said he felt that he had no other choice. In announcing the hunger strike, the Free Al-Khawaja campaign said, “For nearly 15 years, efforts by Danish authorities, the European Union, and international partners to secure Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja’s release have not succeeded. His imprisonment has taken a severe toll on his health and family, yet his commitment to human rights and freedom remains firm.” Al-Khawaja publicly stated he will be shifting strategies in response to his continued imprisonment.

The Danish PM sent a response to Al-Khawaja’s letter on 22 October 2025 but it failed to address the majority of the questions raised so he began the hunger strike until she answered his questions more fully, and until he received a reply from the EU.

On 31 October 2025, the special representative for human rights at the EU, Kajsa Ollongren published a letter addressed to Al-Khawaja. In the letter, she expressed her solidarity and deep concern for his health and pledged the EU’s ongoing support pleading for the Bahraini authorities to release Al-Khawaja on humanitarian grounds and to “respect the UN Guidelines on the Minimum Standards of Treatment for Prisoners (Mandela Rules), underscoring the EU’s principled position on freedom of expression and association”. She also reiterated to him that that “the European Union, in close cooperation with the Government of Denmark, will continue its diplomatic efforts towards your release and return to your family.”

On 31 October 2025, Al-Khawaja suspended his hunger strike in response to the EU letter and the reply from the Danish Prime Minister but he continued to support the other detained hunger strikers in Jaw prison.

At the FIDH Congress in Colombia last week, participants raised signs in solidarity with imprisoned human rights defenders including Al-Khawaja, as seen here with GCHR’s Executive Director Khalid Ibrahim.

In the meantime, more than 90 prisoners in buildings 12 and 2 at Jaw prison started a hunger for “freedom or death” last month. The strike is part of a campaign called “our rights are solid” to protest against the increased violations and the deteriorations of conditions in Jaw prison.  Maryam Al-Khawaja highlighted the hunger strike and the ongoing imprisonment of her father during the Manama Dialogue held on 31 October to 02 November 2025 in Bahrain.

On 23 October 2025, some of the prisoners met with a delegation from the general prosecution after three weeks of open hunger strike. The prisoners indicated that the prison authorities have enacted several punitive actions against the strikers including denial of medications and solitary confinement, to pressure them to end the strike. Bahrain has issued pardons for thousands of prisoners in the last years, but many prominent activists remained in detention.

Earlier this year, in February 2025, GCHR was among 31 NGOs who issued an urgent, high-level joint letter to the King of Bahrain and the European Union to release Al-Khawaja and Mohammed Habib Al-Muqdad. The letter reminded the authorities to respect their commitment, after an EU-GCC summit in October 2024, to respecting, protecting, and promoting universal human rights and international law. GCHR reiterate the importance of the recommendations to the EU in that letter to save the lives of Bahraini activists and prisoners.

Recommendations

GCHR calls on the Bahraini authorities to:

1. Release all prisoners imprisoned in violation of their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, and respond to their hunger strikes in a manner that respects and promotes their rights to enjoy full freedoms and rights;
2. Provide adequate access to living conditions, medical care, and an end of punitive actions against prisoners; and
3. Honour the country’s commitments to human rights and freedoms, including the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful protest and to due process.