Denmark’s foreign ministry says it has been told by Bahraini authorities that Abdulhadi al-Khawaja is still at the military hospital where he was admitted in connection with his life sentence.

“Our ambassador has contacted the Bahraini authorities who have said that he is still in the same ward at the military hospital where he has been admitted for some time,” Foreign Ministry Public Service Chief Ole Egberg Mikkelsen tells Ritzau.

The information that al-Khawaja is still at the hospital comes after al-Khawaja’s wife said earlier today that the dual nationality Danish-Bahraini, who is 77 days into a hunger strike, appeared to have left his hospital room.

The Danish ambassador to Bahrain has not been able to visit al-Khawaja since Sunday.

Denmark’s Foreign Ministry is continuing its diplomatic efforts to get some clarification of al-Khawaja’s fate and case. Apart from Foreign Minister Villy Søvndal ‘s efforts, the European Union, the United Nations and the United States have all urged Bahrain to resolve the issue.

Abdulhadi al-Khawaja is on hunger strike to protest against a life sentence handed down on him last year on charges of calling for a change in system in Bahrain.

According to observers, the Bahraini authorities are in a quandary. While they do not want to appear weak by releasing al-Khawaja, nor do they wish to see him die and thus become a martyr to the Bahraini opposition cause.

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