Support Dr. Abduljalil Al-Singace on his 60th Birthday!

Today marks Dr. Abduljalil Al-Singace’s 190th day on a hunger strike and the day before his 60th birthday. Join SAR in calling for his immediate release and sending him warm wishes in celebration of his birthday and in solidarity with his continued struggle in prison in Bahrain.

Dr. Al-Singace is a scholar of mechanical engineering serving a life sentence in Jau Prison, Bahrain for his participation in a 2011 pro-democracy protest. Since his arrest, over ten years ago, Dr. Al-Singace has been subject to mistreatment and torture, which have worsened his pre-existing health conditions, including post-polio syndrome, and caused new medical issues, including musculoskeletal issues, sickle cell disease, severe dehydration, fainting, shoulder infection, and two ruptured eardrums.

Starting on July 8, 2021, Dr. Al-Singace began a hunger strike to protest his ill-treatment in Jau Prison and to demand the return of a book that was confiscated by prison authorities, to his family. Dr. Al-Singace spent the past four years working on the book, which is about Bahraini dialects, while in prison. Almost a week after he began the hunger strike, Dr. Al-Singace was transferred to a hospital because of his quickly deteriorating health. In November, authorities reportedly suspended Dr. Al-Singace’s access to weekly video calls with his family. In protest of his continued mistreatment in custody, Dr. Al-Singace has also refused to take medication, IVs, and vitamins. Since Dr. Al-Singace began his hunger strike, he has lost over 44 lbs and his white blood cell count has dropped significantly.

Dr. Al-Singace’s rapidly deteriorating health raises grave concern for his ability to maintain his strength to endure the hunger strike. Bahraini authorities must immediately return Dr. Al-Singace’s book to his family and secure his release so he may recover from the immense toll his imprisonment, ill-treatment, and hunger strike have taken on his health and well-being.

Tomorrow, on January 15, Dr. Al-Singace will turn 60. Join the international higher education and human rights communities to demonstrate support for Dr. Al-Singace, in hopes that he may spend his next birthday safely with his family at home, not fighting for his life behind bars.

Here’s how you can support Dr. Al-Singace:

• Sign SAR’s letter of appeal.
• Complete this short form to sign onto SAR’s card for Dr. Al-Singace, which will be packaged and sent to his family.
• On January 15, Dr. Al-Singace’s birthday, tweet a picture of yourself with a photo of Dr. Al-Singace, calling for his release and using #Bahrain and #FreeAlSingace. Tag @ScholarsAtRisk so we may retweet your post.