Health of Bahrain hunger striker slumps as regime comes under pressure

Health of Bahrain hunger striker slumps as regime comes under pressure
By Robert Booth The Guardian (UK) Thursday, Apr 14, 2011

Mother of Zainab al-Khawaja – a 27-year-old protesting against treatment of father – says she is struggling to stand up. Zaynab al-Khawaja – a Bahraini woman on hunger strike – is vomiting and unable to breastfeed her daughter, according to her mother. Photograph: Hasan Jamali/AP

Britain and the EU have heaped diplomatic pressure on Bahrain over the alleged killing of pro-democracy activists in custody, while the health of a hunger striker protesting against the beating and arrest of her dissident father has deteriorated markedly.

In a meeting with interior minister Shaikh Rashid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, the British ambassador to Bahrain, Jamie Bowden, raised concerns over the deaths of four dissident prisoners in the last week. Catherine Ashton, the EU’s high representative for foreign affairs, speaking through a spokesman also called on the Bahrain regime to immediately release all those who have been detained for peacefully expressing themselves. Ashton announced she is to visit Bahrain next week and her spokesman called on the authorities to “investigate all recent events which have resulted in loss of life and injuries”. …more