Abdulhadi al-Khawaja

I got this from Amnesty International:

Thank you for speaking out for Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, who was severely tortured and is serving a life sentence in Bahrain for speaking out for human rights

READ A MESSAGE FROM HIS SPOUSE 

Your compassion and willingness to speak out against the torture and imprisonment of this human rights defender gives hope that the government of Bahrain will release him.

Imagine for a minute, though, that Mr. al-Khawaja was more than the subject of a great injustice following the "Arab Spring" in Bahrain, but a family member, even your own spouse.

Al-Khawaja's wife Khadija al-Mousawi spoke with Amnesty International shortly after his detainment, and shared these words:

"I have lived with ‘Abdulhadi for 30 years; 30 great years. He is my husband, my best friend, my soul-mate and my everything. He has been sentenced to life imprisonment and I hope that the pressure will be so great on the government that they will be forced to set him free."

Read Khadija's full story.

She tells us what it is like to lose your husband to possible life imprisonment, to know that he has been tortured.

She ends by saying: "I love my husband and I am so proud of him, both as a man and a human rights defender."

I'm in awe as I read her words of courage and conviction!
Her unconditional support for her husband's work in spite of the tremendous cost is an inspiration to all of us who believe in justice, who stand up for freedom, and who maintain hope that courageous human rights defenders like al-Khawaja are given their freedom.

Thank you for helping our renewed efforts to urge the government of Bahrain to release Mr. al-Khawaja. 

Sincerely,

 

Alex Neve
Secretary General,
Amnesty International Canada