Bahrain Mirror: The Danish and Norwegian parliamentary delegations participating in the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) conference called on Bahrain to release prisoner of conscience Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja, who holds the Danish nationality.

MP Søren Søndergaard, chairman of the Danish parliamentarian delegation to the IPU conference, demanded Al-Khawaja's release. "A Danish citizen of Bahraini origin has been in prison in Bahrain, few kilometers away from the conference. He is not a violent criminal. He is a human rights defender and he is imprisoned for his whole life. He fought with peaceful means for democracy and human rights," he said in his speech, calling on the Bahraini authorities to release Al-Khawaja.

Another Danish MP warned in his speech that "Al-Khawaja is still dying in prison," asking the participants "Shouldn't he (Al-Khawaja) have the opportunity to return to his family in Denmark? Shouldn't he be released and enjoy freedom with his family?"

The Danish MP addressed Bahrain's representatives at the conference by saying: "Return this person (Al-Khawaja) to his wife and daughter for the sake of democracy and human rights respect in the world."

A Norwegian MP participating in the conference said that "there is a Danish citizen who has been imprisoned since 2011 and sentenced to life imprisonment," and called on Bahrain to release him because "his imprisonment contradicts the values of the Inter-Parliamentary Union."

A third Danish MP also called for Al-Khawaja's release, saying: "Unfortunately, Al-Khawaja is not the only human rights defender who has been subjected to restrictions on his fundamental freedom," considering that "this incident (Al-Khawaja's imprisonment) undermines hope among youths," stressing that "dialogue is difficult sometimes, but it is essential for democracy."

Arabic Version