Alwaght- A top Bahraini opposition figure has embarked on an open ended hunger strike to protest prison conditions.
Sheikh Mirza al-Mahrous a renowned Bahraini opposition launched his hunger strike after Jaw prison authorities denied him medical treatments.
Al-Mahrous, who is sentenced to 15 years in prison, stressed that the authorities in Jaw Central Prison are preventing him from going to the hospital to receive treatment as well as taking medications, stressing that "he and his family are subjected to maltreatment during visits."
Alyaa Radhi, wife of opposition leader Sheikh Ali Salman who is detained in Jaw prison first published the news of hunger strike on her Twitter account.
Radhi explained that Al-Mahrous has launched the hunger strike protesting against being banned by the Jaw's prison administration from visiting his aunt in the intensive care unit.
The Bahraini authorities have escalated their campaign against opposition gigures since June 2016, after they revoked the citizenship of the Shiite majority spiritual leader, Ayatollah Sheikh Isa Qassim. The authorities also arrested and summoned dozens of clerics over taking part in Diraz protest and inciting hatred against the regime.
The extensive crackdown on opposition groups and activists was also condemned by the Human Rights Watch on Tuesday. The groups called on the country to bring about the changes long demanded by the group.
