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{{Infobox person
{{Infobox person
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| caption = Maryam Alkhawaja holding Bahrain flag
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| website = http://www.bahrainrights.org/
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'''Maryam Abdulhadi Alkhawaja''' ({{lang-ar|مريم عبد الهادي الخواجة}}) is a [[Bahrain]]i human rights defenders. She is the daughter of the prominent [[Bahrain]]i human rights defender [[Abdulhadi Alkhawaja]] and head of the foreign relations office for [[Bahrain Centre for Human Rights|Bahrain Center for Human Rights]].
'''Maryam Abdulhadi Alkhawaja''' ({{lang-ar|مريم عبد الهادي الخواجة}}) is a [[Bahrain]]i human rights defenders. She is the daughter of the prominent [[Bahrain]]i human rights defender [[Abdulhadi Alkhawaja]] and head of the foreign relations office for the [[Bahrain Centre for Human Rights|Bahrain Center for Human Rights]].


==Early life==
==Life==


Maryam's was born in [[Syria]] to then-exiled [[Abdulhadi Alkhawaja]] and his wife, Khadija al-Mousawi, who had been banned from Bahrain in the mid-1980s. When Maryam was aged two, the family were granted political asylum in Denmark,<ref name="Olso">{{cite news | author = [[Staff writer]] | url = http://www.oslofreedomforum.com/speakers/maryam_al_khawaja.html | publisher = [[Oslo Freedom Forum]] | year=May 2011 | accessdate=117 July 2011}}</ref> where they lived until 2001, returning to Manama as soon as they were allowed re-entry to Bahrain. Maryam was 14.<ref name="BCHR1">{{cite news | author = [[Staff writer]] | url = http://www.bahrainrights.org/en/node/4338 | title = The Atlantic: Exiled and 24: The Young Woman Fighting for Bahrain | publisher = Bahrain Centre for Human Rights | date=29 June 2011 | accessdate=13 July 2011}}</ref>
Maryam was born in [[Syria]] but her father [[Abdulhadi Alkhawaja]], was later exiled from Bahrai in the mid-1980s. At the age of two her family was granted political asylum in Denmark,<ref name="Olso">{{cite news | author = [[Staff writer]] | url = http://www.oslofreedomforum.com/speakers/maryam_al_khawaja.html | publisher = [[Oslo Freedom Forum]] | year=May 2011 | accessdate=117 July 2011}}</ref> where they lived until 2001, when they were allowed re-entry into Bahrain.<ref name="BCHR1">{{cite news | author = [[Staff writer]] | url = http://www.bahrainrights.org/en/node/4338 | title = The Atlantic: Exiled and 24: The Young Woman Fighting for Bahrain | publisher = Bahrain Centre for Human Rights | date=29 June 2011 | accessdate=13 July 2011}}</ref>


After graduating from the [[University of Bahrain]] in 2009, Maryam Alkhawaja spent a year in the U.S on a Fulbright scholarship at [[Brown University]] in the U.S. On her return in the summer of 2010, she found that as the daughter of one of the regime's most prominent foes, her ambitions to
After graduating from the [[University of Bahrain]] in 2009, Maryam Alkhawaja spent a year in the[[United States]] on a Fulbright scholarship at [[Brown University]]. On her return in the summer of 2010, she found that as the daughter of one of the regime's most prominent foes, her plans of teaching or working in public relations, were unlikely. Instead she joined the [[Bahrain Center for Human Rights]], founded by her father, where
find work teaching or in public relations were thwarted. Instead she joined the [[Bahrain Center for Human Rights]], founded by her father, where
she runs the foreign relations office, serving as a deputy to BCHR's president, [[Nabeel Rajab]].<ref name="BCHR1" />
she runs the foreign relations office, serving as a deputy to BCHR's president, [[Nabeel Rajab]].<ref name="BCHR1" />

On the 22 June 2011, Abdulhadi Alkhawaja, Maryam’s father, was sentenced to life imprisonment in a military court on the charge of "organizing and managing a terrorist organization”.<ref>{{cite web|last=Chulov|first=Martin|title=Bahrain rights activists jailed for life|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jun/22/bahraini-activists-jailed-life|work=Online Article|publisher=Guardian|accessdate=2/16/2012}}</ref>


==Human Rights activism==
==Human Rights activism==


In 2007, she led a BBC crew to Shiite villages as a translator to interview victims of the systematic oppression of Shiites and to expose the dire situation they face in Bahrain, where Shiites are discriminated against in all sectors of society. She listens to stories of discrimination and injustice and conveys the victims’ messages to international audiences through her advocacy.<ref name="Olso" />
In 2007, she led a BBC crew to Shiite villages to interview Shiites who had been victimized by oppression, and to expose the dire conditions they face in Bahrain, where Shiites are discriminated against in all sectors of society. On the program, she listens to stories of discrimination and injustice and conveys the victims’ messages to international audiences through her translations.<ref name="Olso" />


===Involvement in the 2011-2012 Bahraini uprising===
===Involvement in the 2011-2012 Bahraini uprising===
Line 34: Line 35:
}}
}}


After attending the early pro-democracy demonstrations in 2011, Maryam Alkhawaja embarked on an overseas tour of talks at colleges and conferences, including the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva<ref name="WN 28.7.2011"/> and meetings with politicians in the United Kingdom. With Nabeel Rajab prevented from leaving Bahrain, problems of access for the external media and at least 500 leading members of the opposition detained, Maryam Alkhawaja assumed a prominent public role outside Bahrain. Given the likelihood of arrest if she returned, BCHR considered that she should remain outside Bahrain according to [[Joe Stork]].<ref name="BCHR1" />
After attending the early pro-democracy demonstrations in 2011, Maryam Alkhawaja embarked on an overseas speech tour which had her speak at colleges and conferences. During this tour, she held meetings with United Kingdom Politicians, and spoke to United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva.<ref name="WN 28.7.2011"/> With Nabeel Rajab prevented from leaving Bahrain, problems of access for the external media and at least 500 leading members of the opposition detained, Maryam Alkhawaja assumed a prominent public role outside Bahrain. Given the likelihood of arrest if she returned, BCHR considered that she should remain outside Bahrain according to [[Joe Stork]].<ref name="BCHR1" />


In April, Alkhawaja paricipated in the U.S.-Islamic World Forum<ref>[http://www.usislamicworldforum.org/2011-participants "2011 Participants", U.S. - Islamic World Forum, April 2011]. Retrieved 17 July 2011.</ref> where she was able to speak to Secreatary of State [[Hillary Clinton]] and tell her the story of her father’s arrest along with her brothers in-law. She told Clinton that the United States need to take a stronger stand on the situation in Bahrain especially that US arms are being used against the people.<ref>{{cite video |date=13 April 2011 |title=Maryam Alkhawaja speaks to Secretary Clinton at the US Islamic World Forum |url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?&v=mAr2F-sHx34 |language=English |location=U.S.}}</ref> In May, she spoke to the Oslo Freedom Forum about her experiences of government violence in Bahrain, describing the killing of student protestors, the torture of democracy advocates and the "disappearances" of human rights defenders, and the involvement of troops from Saudi Arabia in propping up the Bahraini regime.<ref name="Olso" /><ref name="Huffpost">{{cite news | author = [[Thor Halvorssen]] | url = http://www.huffingtonpost.com/thor-halvorssen/pr-mercenaries-their-dict_b_863716.html | publisher = [[Huffpost]] | date=19 May 2011 | accessdate=17 July 2011 | title=PR Mercenaries, Their Dictator Masters, and the Human Rights Stain}}</ref> On 13 May, she gave evidence to a U.S. Congress hearing on [[Human Rights in Bahrain]].<ref>[http://www.bahrainrights.org/en/node/4065 "POMED Notes: “Human Rights in Bahrain”", [[Bahrain Centre for Human Rights]], 13 May 2011]. Retrieved 17 July 2011.</ref><ref>[http://tlhrc.house.gov/hearing_notice.asp?id=1211 "HEARING NOTICE: HUMAN RIGHTS IN BAHRAIN", [[Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission]], 13 May 2011]. Retrieved 17 July 2011.</ref>
In April, Alkhawaja paricipated in the U.S.-Islamic World Forum,<ref>[http://www.usislamicworldforum.org/2011-participants "2011 Participants", U.S. - Islamic World Forum, April 2011]. Retrieved 17 July 2011.</ref> where she was able to speak to Secreatary of State [[Hillary Clinton]] and tell the story of her father’s arrest, and events surrounding the death of her brother in-law. She implored Clinton, that the United States take a stronger stance against the oppression in Bahrain, and cited the Bahrainian governments use of American weapons to suppress the protesters, as a reason for the United States to do.<ref>{{cite video |date=13 April 2011 |title=Maryam Alkhawaja speaks to Secretary Clinton at the US Islamic World Forum |url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?&v=mAr2F-sHx34 |language=English |location=U.S.}}</ref> In May, she spoke to the Oslo Freedom Forum about her experiences of government violence in Bahrain, she described the killing of student protestors, the torture of democracy advocates, the "disappearances" of human rights defenders, and the cooperation by Saudi Arabian troops, as means to protect the Bahraini regime.<ref name="Olso" /><ref name="Huffpost">{{cite news | author = [[Thor Halvorssen]] | url = http://www.huffingtonpost.com/thor-halvorssen/pr-mercenaries-their-dict_b_863716.html | publisher = [[Huffpost]] | date=19 May 2011 | accessdate=17 July 2011 | title=PR Mercenaries, Their Dictator Masters, and the Human Rights Stain}}</ref> On 13 May, she gave evidence to a U.S. Congress hearing on [[Human Rights in Bahrain]].<ref>[http://www.bahrainrights.org/en/node/4065 "POMED Notes: “Human Rights in Bahrain”", [[Bahrain Centre for Human Rights]], 13 May 2011]. Retrieved 17 July 2011.</ref><ref>[http://tlhrc.house.gov/hearing_notice.asp?id=1211 "HEARING NOTICE: HUMAN RIGHTS IN BAHRAIN", [[Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission]], 13 May 2011]. Retrieved 17 July 2011.</ref>


====Online activity====
====Online activity====


Before the [[2011-2012 Bahraini uprising]] Alkhawaja was not much of a Twitter user and had only about 30 followers. Now she has 39,324 followers and has sent more than 11,000 tweets,<ref>[https://twitter.com/#!/MARYAMALKHAWAJA]</ref> providing real-time coverage of various protests overlooked by many formal news agencies. As demonstrators flooded the streets she stayed for days on end in Manama's Pearl Square Roundabout tweeting round the clock.<ref name="WN 28.7.2011">{{cite news | author=Courtney C. Radsch | title = Bahrain's Young Women Keep the Revolution Aloud | date=28 July 2011 | publisher=[[Women's eNews]] | url = http://www.womensenews.org/story/leadership/110727/bahrains-young-women-keep-the-revolution-aloud | accessdate=7 January 2012}}</ref>
Before the [[2011-2012 Bahraini uprising]] Alkhawaja was not active on Twitter, with no more than 30 followers. Now she has over 39,324 followers and has sent more than 11,000 tweets,<ref>[https://twitter.com/#!/MARYAMALKHAWAJA]</ref> providing real-time coverage of various protests oft overlooked by many formal news agencies. As demonstrators flooded the streets she stayed for days on end in Manama's Pearl Square Roundabout actively tweeting.<ref name="WN 28.7.2011">{{cite news | author=Courtney C. Radsch | title = Bahrain's Young Women Keep the Revolution Aloud | date=28 July 2011 | publisher=[[Women's eNews]] | url = http://www.womensenews.org/story/leadership/110727/bahrains-young-women-keep-the-revolution-aloud | accessdate=7 January 2012}}</ref>


==Threats and harassment==
==Threats and harassment==


Maryam Alkhawaja has faced internet harassment from regime supporters.<ref name="BCHR1" /> She did not attend the [[IFEX]] General Meeting and Strategy Conference in Beirut in early June after receiving death threats.<ref>[http://www.bahrainrights.org/en/node/4331 "IFEX calls on Bahrain's rulers to end detention and torture of those jailed solely for peacefully expressing themselves", Bahrain Centre for Human Rights, 28 June 2011]. Retrieved 13 July 2011.</ref> Immediately after her speech to the Oslo Freedom Forum (streamed live online) a Twitter campaign began, accusing her of being an extremist, a liar, and a servant of Iran. The Oslo Freedom Forum's email account was bombarded with multiple copies of a message portraying Maryam Alkhawaja is an enemy of the Bahraini people and a "traitor." Much of the tweeting, blogging and online harassment has originated in the U.S., inside the Geo-Political Solutions division of Qorvis Communications.<ref name="Huffpost" /> The campaign has also included apparently organized heckling.<ref name="Huffpost" />
Maryam Alkhawaja has faced internet harassment from regime supporters.<ref name="BCHR1" /> She did not attend the [[IFEX]] General Meeting and Strategy Conference in Beirut in early June after receiving death threats.<ref>[http://www.bahrainrights.org/en/node/4331 "IFEX calls on Bahrain's rulers to end detention and torture of those jailed solely for peacefully expressing themselves", Bahrain Centre for Human Rights, 28 June 2011]. Retrieved 13 July 2011.</ref> Immediately after her speech to the Oslo Freedom Forum (streamed live online) a Twitter campaign began, accusing her of being an extremist,liar, and a servant of Iran. The Oslo Freedom Forum's email account was bombarded with multiple copies of a message portraying Maryam Alkhawaja as an enemy of the Bahraini people and a "traitor." Much of the tweeting, blogging and online harassment has originated in the U.S., inside the Geo-Political Solutions division of Qorvis Communications.<ref name="Huffpost" /> The campaign has also included apparently organized heckling.<ref name="Huffpost" />


In early May 2011, an anonymous smear campaign was launched against Nabeel Rajab and Maryam Alkhawaja with the active support of the Bahraini authorities.<ref>[http://www.bahrainrights.org/en/node/4354 "The Observatory: Slandering campaign against Mr. Nabeel Rajab and Ms. Maryam Al Khawaja", Bahrain Centre for Human Rights, 30 June 2011]. Retrieved 13 July 2011.</ref>
In early May 2011, an anonymous smear campaign was launched against Nabeel Rajab and Maryam Alkhawaja with the active support of the Bahraini authorities.<ref>[http://www.bahrainrights.org/en/node/4354 "The Observatory: Slandering campaign against Mr. Nabeel Rajab and Ms. Maryam Al Khawaja", Bahrain Centre for Human Rights, 30 June 2011]. Retrieved 13 July 2011.</ref>

Revision as of 22:57, 18 February 2012

Maryam al-Khawaja
Maryam Alkhawaja holding Bahrain flag
Born
Maryam Abdulhadi Alkhawaja

(1987-01-01) January 1, 1987 (age 37)
Syria
OccupationHuman rights defender
Years active2007–present
Websitehttp://www.bahrainrights.org/

Maryam Abdulhadi Alkhawaja (Arabic: مريم عبد الهادي الخواجة) is a Bahraini human rights defenders. She is the daughter of the prominent Bahraini human rights defender Abdulhadi Alkhawaja and head of the foreign relations office for the Bahrain Center for Human Rights.

Life

Maryam was born in Syria but her father Abdulhadi Alkhawaja, was later exiled from Bahrai in the mid-1980s. At the age of two her family was granted political asylum in Denmark,[1] where they lived until 2001, when they were allowed re-entry into Bahrain.[2]

After graduating from the University of Bahrain in 2009, Maryam Alkhawaja spent a year in theUnited States on a Fulbright scholarship at Brown University. On her return in the summer of 2010, she found that as the daughter of one of the regime's most prominent foes, her plans of teaching or working in public relations, were unlikely. Instead she joined the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, founded by her father, where she runs the foreign relations office, serving as a deputy to BCHR's president, Nabeel Rajab.[2]

On the 22 June 2011, Abdulhadi Alkhawaja, Maryam’s father, was sentenced to life imprisonment in a military court on the charge of "organizing and managing a terrorist organization”.[3]

Human Rights activism

In 2007, she led a BBC crew to Shiite villages to interview Shiites who had been victimized by oppression, and to expose the dire conditions they face in Bahrain, where Shiites are discriminated against in all sectors of society. On the program, she listens to stories of discrimination and injustice and conveys the victims’ messages to international audiences through her translations.[1]

Involvement in the 2011-2012 Bahraini uprising

External videos
video icon Maryam Alkhawaja participation in Oslo Freedom forum in May 2011 on YouTube

After attending the early pro-democracy demonstrations in 2011, Maryam Alkhawaja embarked on an overseas speech tour which had her speak at colleges and conferences. During this tour, she held meetings with United Kingdom Politicians, and spoke to United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva.[4] With Nabeel Rajab prevented from leaving Bahrain, problems of access for the external media and at least 500 leading members of the opposition detained, Maryam Alkhawaja assumed a prominent public role outside Bahrain. Given the likelihood of arrest if she returned, BCHR considered that she should remain outside Bahrain according to Joe Stork.[2]

In April, Alkhawaja paricipated in the U.S.-Islamic World Forum,[5] where she was able to speak to Secreatary of State Hillary Clinton and tell the story of her father’s arrest, and events surrounding the death of her brother in-law. She implored Clinton, that the United States take a stronger stance against the oppression in Bahrain, and cited the Bahrainian governments use of American weapons to suppress the protesters, as a reason for the United States to do.[6] In May, she spoke to the Oslo Freedom Forum about her experiences of government violence in Bahrain, she described the killing of student protestors, the torture of democracy advocates, the "disappearances" of human rights defenders, and the cooperation by Saudi Arabian troops, as means to protect the Bahraini regime.[1][7] On 13 May, she gave evidence to a U.S. Congress hearing on Human Rights in Bahrain.[8][9]

Online activity

Before the 2011-2012 Bahraini uprising Alkhawaja was not active on Twitter, with no more than 30 followers. Now she has over 39,324 followers and has sent more than 11,000 tweets,[10] providing real-time coverage of various protests oft overlooked by many formal news agencies. As demonstrators flooded the streets she stayed for days on end in Manama's Pearl Square Roundabout actively tweeting.[4]

Threats and harassment

Maryam Alkhawaja has faced internet harassment from regime supporters.[2] She did not attend the IFEX General Meeting and Strategy Conference in Beirut in early June after receiving death threats.[11] Immediately after her speech to the Oslo Freedom Forum (streamed live online) a Twitter campaign began, accusing her of being an extremist,liar, and a servant of Iran. The Oslo Freedom Forum's email account was bombarded with multiple copies of a message portraying Maryam Alkhawaja as an enemy of the Bahraini people and a "traitor." Much of the tweeting, blogging and online harassment has originated in the U.S., inside the Geo-Political Solutions division of Qorvis Communications.[7] The campaign has also included apparently organized heckling.[7]

In early May 2011, an anonymous smear campaign was launched against Nabeel Rajab and Maryam Alkhawaja with the active support of the Bahraini authorities.[12]

References

  1. ^ a b c Staff writer (May 2011). Oslo Freedom Forum http://www.oslofreedomforum.com/speakers/maryam_al_khawaja.html. Retrieved 117 July 2011. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Missing or empty |title= (help)
  2. ^ a b c d Staff writer (29 June 2011). "The Atlantic: Exiled and 24: The Young Woman Fighting for Bahrain". Bahrain Centre for Human Rights. Retrieved 13 July 2011.
  3. ^ Chulov, Martin. "Bahrain rights activists jailed for life". Online Article. Guardian. Retrieved 2/16/2012. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  4. ^ a b Courtney C. Radsch (28 July 2011). "Bahrain's Young Women Keep the Revolution Aloud". Women's eNews. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
  5. ^ "2011 Participants", U.S. - Islamic World Forum, April 2011. Retrieved 17 July 2011.
  6. ^ Maryam Alkhawaja speaks to Secretary Clinton at the US Islamic World Forum. U.S. 13 April 2011.
  7. ^ a b c Thor Halvorssen (19 May 2011). "PR Mercenaries, Their Dictator Masters, and the Human Rights Stain". Huffpost. Retrieved 17 July 2011.
  8. ^ "POMED Notes: “Human Rights in Bahrain”", Bahrain Centre for Human Rights, 13 May 2011. Retrieved 17 July 2011.
  9. ^ "HEARING NOTICE: HUMAN RIGHTS IN BAHRAIN", Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, 13 May 2011. Retrieved 17 July 2011.
  10. ^ [1]
  11. ^ "IFEX calls on Bahrain's rulers to end detention and torture of those jailed solely for peacefully expressing themselves", Bahrain Centre for Human Rights, 28 June 2011. Retrieved 13 July 2011.
  12. ^ "The Observatory: Slandering campaign against Mr. Nabeel Rajab and Ms. Maryam Al Khawaja", Bahrain Centre for Human Rights, 30 June 2011. Retrieved 13 July 2011.

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