PHR applauds President Obama for publicly expressing his concern for the well-being of Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, a Bahraini human rights defender who has been on a hunger strike in prison for the past two months.
The President made his statement days after PHR and 15 other organizations pressed him for public comment (letter, pdf) on the case. The President also condemned the excessive use of force and improper use of tear gas by the Bahraini police.
PHR has conducted investigations into the ongoing crackdown against pro-democracy protesters and has consistently advocated for a stronger US response to the Government of Bahrain’s attacks on civilians.