Bahrain extends al-Khawaja custody despite UN outcry

Bahraini regime has extended the custody of a prominent human rights activist, Maryam al-Khawaja, despite a UN call for her release.

According to her lawyer, Mohammed al-Jishi, a Bahraini court ruled on Saturday that the rights activist remain in jail for another ten days.

Bahrain has extended her custody despite the United Naitons’ concern about the “ongoing violations” of freedom of expression in the Persian Gulf country.

On Friday, the UN expressed serious concern about Maryam’s arrest and called on Bahraini regime to release her and other detained activists.

"We urge the government to take immediate steps to release Ms. Khawaja and all human rights defenders and individuals detained for the peaceful exercise of their rights, and to ensure that all human rights defenders in Bahrain are able to carry out their important work in an effective manner without fear of harassment or prosecution," Ravina Shamdasani, the spokeswoman for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), said in a statement.

Al-Khawaja was arrested on August 30 upon arrival in Bahrain’s International Airport, on charges of assaulting a police officer.

The activist, who is the daughter of jailed opposition figure Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, flew to the kingdom to visit her father.

In 2011, her father was jailed for life on charges of plotting to overthrow the regime.

The Manama regime has detained thousands of people for taking part in pro-democracy rallies which erupted more than three years ago.

On March 14, 2011, troops from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates invaded the country to assist the Bahraini government in its crackdown on peaceful protesters.

According to local sources, scores of people have been killed in the regime’s crackdown.