Jailed activist bearing up after three months on hunger strike

The wife of a jailed Bahraini activist on hunger strike for more than three months says his condition appears better, but he is still only taking water and juice in his protest against government crackdowns in the Gulf kingdom.

Khadija al-Musawi said she visited her husband, Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, for about two hours yesterday.

Khawaja and seven other activists were sentenced to life in prison by a military-run court last year for participating in the uprising by Bahrain’s majority Shiites.

The convictions for the group – and about a dozen others – are now being reviewed by a civilian court.

Pro-democracy protesters burned tyres and clashed with police in Manama on Saturday, demanding the release of opposition leaders and rights activists.

Opposition activists say the death toll in the unrest has risen from 35 when martial law ended last June to 81, as police make heavy use of tear-gas and birdshot pellets.

The Bahrain government claims that many of the deaths were caused by the protesters’ or bystanders’ pre-existing poor health.