The Danish national who's been on a hunger strike for 40 days in a Bahrain jail is probably so weak that he no longer knows what he's doing, according to a Danish nutrition expert.
Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, who was granted Danish citizenship after applying for asylum here in the 1990's, was jailed in Bahrain last year for allegedly leading an insurgency against the regime. After being given a life sentence by a military court he was allegedly tortured, before going on hunger strike last month when he proclaimed 'freedom or death'. According to his family, he's refused all medical assistance because he's afraid that the authorities will spread false rumors about the state of his health.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Villy Søvndal has said that the ministry is doing everything within its power to get Abdulhadi al-Khawaja released so he can be brought to Denmark for medical assistance, while 50 human rights groups, including Amnesty international and Human Rights Watch, have appealed to Bahrain for his release.
HM Queen Margrethe , who bestowed one of Denmark's highest royal orders on King Khalifa during a state visit to Bahrain last year, just weeks before he ordered a violent crackdown on demonstrators, has rejected requests to get involved.