DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The daughter of a human rights activist long-detained in Bahrain has again called for her father’s release, saying she has been diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma.
Mariam Al-Khawaja also called on Denmark, of which the couple are nationals, to make further efforts to secure the release of her father, Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja, 62. She also called on Denmark to halt arms sales to Israel and to work to end hostilities as Israel wages war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
“I call on the Danish government to take the lead in implementing the human rights values it espouses by using its diplomatic powers to release my father, halt all arms sales and demand a ceasefire in Gaza,” she said in a statement on Monday. “Only then can our whole family finally be together in safety.”
In a statement to The Associated Press, the Bahraini government denied recognising Al Khawaja’s cancer diagnosis, saying instead her father had “all the legal rights to which he is entitled, including a fair trial and the right to appeal”.
The Kingdom of Bahrain is an island nation in the Persian Gulf and is home to the United States Navy’s 5th Fleet.
Al-Khawaja’s father, Abdulhadi, has been in prison for years, facing international criticism, after being convicted of leading Bahrain’s Arab Spring protests in 2011. Al-Khawaja was prevented from traveling to Bahrain last year with human rights activists to protest his continued detention.
Hodgkin’s lymphoma is a cancer of the lymph nodes. It is fast-growing but has been successfully treated. Al Khawaja said she is undergoing chemotherapy to fight the disease.
