A brazilian jiu jitsu competitor in Bahrain has first declared a hunger strike in solidarity with a fellow prisoner.
According to bloodyelbow report:
Mohamed Mirza, who medaled for Bahrain at the 2008 Asian Open Championships in Thailand, launched his hunger strike to protest the treatment of Mushaima, a Bahraini opposition leader serving a life sentence for his role in Bahrain’s pro-democracy protests and uprising. According to Mirza, Mushaima is being denied access to proper medical treatment, which has caused his health to deteriorate.
Mirza is also protesting his own poor treatment at Bahrain’s Jaw prison, which includes lack of access to proper health care and restrictions on family visitations such as glass barriers. He chose to begin his hunger strike after filing five separate complaints with the prison to no avail.
He chose to begin his hunger strike after filing five separate complaints with the prison to no avail. Mohamad Mirza was arrested back in 2011, a day after Nahraini government declared a state of emergency in response to the uprising.
He was detained at a checkpoint on suspicion of “kidnapping a police officer” and was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Human rights activists believe he was forced to sign a confession after being subjected to various forms of torture at the hands of the Bahraini authorities.
