Bahrain Mirror: Front Line Defenders organized a sit-in in front of the European Parliament in the Belgium capital, Brussels, demanding that the European Union press Bahrain to release imprisoned human rights defenders in Bahrain, namely former Middle East and North Africa Protection Co-ordinator for Front Line Defenders, Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja.

Members of Front Line Defenders raised banners bearing a photo of Al-Khawaja, demanding the release of all human rights defenders detained in Bahrain. "Jailed, tortures, sentenced, to life imprisonment in Bahrain, set them free," read the banners.

On their official Twitter page, FLD said that they protested the detention of their former colleague Abdulhadi Al Khawaja in Bahrain, stressing that he EU and its member states need to step up and actively pursue the immediate and unconditional release of Abdulhadi and all jailed human rights defenders in Bahrain.

Today in Brussels we protested the detention of our former colleague Abdulhadi Al Khawaja in #Bahrain The EU and its member states need to step up and actively pursue the immediate and unconditional of Abdulhadi & all jailed #humanrightsdefenders in Bahrain! @EUintheGCC pic.twitter.com/idpsscYQVZ

— FLD Brussels (@FLDBrussels) February 21, 2019

This comes days after the European Parliament organized a panel discussion on the human rights situation in the Arabian Peninsula, attended by Bahrain opposition Al-Wefaq leader Ali Al-Aswad, along with the fiancé of late Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was assassinated at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

FLD Executive Director, Andrew Anderson, tweeted a photo from the meeting he attended with members from the group and European Parliamentarians on the situation of human rights in Bahrain, where he spoke of "courageous human rights defenders Abdulhadi Alkhawaja, Nabeel Rajab, Naji Fateel and Ebtisam Al-Sayegh."

Good meeting @EuropeanParl with @julie4nw, @blochbihler, @JoseFariaMEP @fidh_en @ECDHRbxl on the situation of human rights in #Bahrain where I spoke of courageous human rights defenders Abdulhadi Alkhawaja, @NABEELRAJAB Naji Fateel & @ealsaegh #FreeAbdulhadi pic.twitter.com/aRSnXg6XhJ

— Andrew Anderson (@ettrick49) February 21, 2019

Arabic Version