MANAMA: The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Shaikh Khalid on Thursday said that the steps are being taken by the Government to secure the release of the convicted Zainab Al Khawaja.
The Foreign Minister was responding to a question posed by one of the journalists travelling with the Secretary of State John Kerry, who is in Bahrain to hold talks with the GCC foreign Ministers ahead of the US-GCC Summit in Riyadh, and said Ms Al Khawaja was allowed to keep his son along while serving the imprisonment as she wanted to keep her son long.
“Soon she will be freed and to join her family,” Shaikh Khalid added.
It may be recalled that earlier, the Acting Director General of the Reformation and Rehabilitation confirmed that Zainab Abdulhadi Abdullah Al Khawaja, 32, who was taken into custody on 15 March 2016 after being convicted in a number of cases, maintains all of her rights as stated in the Reformation and Rehabilitation Law of 2014.
The Acting Director General said the sentences against her include a one-year jail term for insulting a public employee in 2013 and a two-month sentence for intentional sabotage in 2014.
He said that Al Khawaja requested to keep her child, aged one year and four months, with her at the Women’s Reformation and Rehabilitation Centre. Her request was approved and she signed a statement to this regard on 16 March 2016. The directorate provides all childcare requirements and she is being housed in a dedicated area for mothers and children. Her son received a medical check-up and was provided with required medication as per normal procedures.
The Acting Director General stated that the centre has approved a variety of Al Khawaja’s requests, including allowing her son home visits with her husband (his father) on certain days. Her daughter will also be permitted to stay with her for one full day. Medical appointments for Al Khawaja were scheduled by the Health Affairs Directorate.
The Acting Director General said the department will continue to fulfil their legal duty of providing medical care around the clock to all inmates who may need it. He called upon the media to adhere to journalistic ethics, especially accuracy, and to avoid publishing unverified information.