Zainab al-Khawaja

Bahraini activist

Zainab Abdulhadi al-Khawaja (Arabic: زينب عبد الهادي الخواجة; born 21 October 1983) is a Bahraini human rights activist known for her involvement in the Bahraini uprising. She gained attention by posting tweets as AngryArabiya during the protests.[3] She also advocates for her father Abdulhadi Alkhawaja's release who constantly does hunger strike.[4] She has also criticized the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama for "standing behind the dictator".[5]

Zainab al-Khawaja
Born (1983-10-21) 21 October 1983 (age 41)
EducationBeloit College
MovementBahraini uprising (2011–present)
SpouseWafi Almajed[1]
Parent(s)Abdulhadi al-Khawaja (father)
Khadija al-Mousawi (mother)
RelativesMaryam al-Khawaja (sister)
Jude (daughter, born ca 2009)[2]
Abdulhadi (son, born ca 2015)[2]

Prison

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She was designated a Prisoner of Conscience by Amnesty International.[6] She had faced a three-year prison sentence for tearing up a picture of King Hamad in December 2014, a notable act of protest.

Forced exile

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Despite release, ongoing charges kept her under the threat of re-arrest as several Bahraini officials told Danish authorities that if she doesn't leave the country she will be separated from her child and will be put in prison again.

For that reason she left Bahrain and went to Denmark. She announced her exile on X formerly Twitter.[7] Now, Zainab with Danish-Bahraini dual citizenship, continues her activism from abroad.

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References

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  1. "Bahrain hunger striker sees husband for first time in two months". The Guardian. 2011-06-17. Retrieved 2012-04-14.
  2. 2.0 2.1 "Case History: Zainab Al-Khawaja". Front Line Defenders. June 2, 2016.
  3. "Bahraini activist 'Angry Arabiya' arrested". Washington Post. 2023-06-28.
  4. "Leading Bahrain pro-democracy activist released". BBC News. 2012-02-21. Retrieved 2023-11-14.
  5. "Bahraini activist's daughter on hunger strike for his release". web.archive.org. 22 April 2011. Archived from the original on 2011-04-22.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  6. "Bahrain should 'immediately release' hunger-striker Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja". Amnesty international. 30 March 2012. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
  7. "Zainab on her exile". X (formerly Twitter).