BIOGRAPHY
Date of Arrest: 17 March 2011
Prison Sentence: 15 years
Torture: Severe battery, forced standing, doused with cold water
Health: Needs specialist health care for his disability
Sheikh Abdulhadi Al-Makhdour is a Shia cleric and prominent opposition activist. He was arrested and taken to a detention center on 17 March 2011, where he was held in solitary confinement. While in detention, he was subjected to torture that included beatings and being forced to stand for three to four hours daily. National Security officers also spat in his mouth and forced Al-Makhdour to swallow. He was also prevented from praying and was denied a shower for a period of ten days. He was not permitted to contact his family or a lawyer. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison on charges including “plotting to overthrow the government” in a military court trial deemed unjust by many international human rights organizations.
Al-Makhdour was previously arrested for his participation in opposition politics in 2010. During his time in prison, his family was forbidden by the authorities to ask about torture, charges, proceedings, or anything relevant to the cases of the Al-Mukhodher and other detainees. They were also instructed not to speak about what was happening on the outside, give the detainees any news, or to look at any parts of the detainees’ bodies under their clothing. The authorities ended the visit and ordered the family out after only five minutes.
During his imprisonment in Al Grain prison, Al-Makhdour has been subjected to similar treatment, including water torture, being forced to stand for long periods of time, and beatings. He has also been frequently subjected to verbal abuse and has been prevented from praying. After his final appeal was rejected in January 2013, the prison severely limited joint visitation, resulting in Al-Mukhodher not being able to see his nephew who is also held in the same prison. To protest the ban on joint visitation and his treatment in prison, he went on a hunger strike in February 2013, around the same time with Al-Khawaja and Al-Singace.
Download Shiekh Abdulhadi’s card here.