Bahraini prisoner's death from COVID-19 prompts protests
Husain Barakat received China's Sinopharm vaccine but died anyway after contracting the coronavirus in prison.
The death of a prisoner from the coronavirus in Bahrain has triggered protests in the Gulf kingdom.
Husain Barakat died on Wednesday after succumbing to COVID-19. The 48-year-old political prisoner had been on a respirator and died in the hospital. Barakat had been fully vaccinated against the virus via China’s Sinopharm vaccine. Protests broke out in the town of Diah on the island, as people blamed the government for his death, The Associated Press reported.
Videos on Bahraini social media showed hundreds of people marching and carrying pictures of Barakat.
Barakat was sentenced to life in prison in 2018 after being found guilty of belonging to a militant Shiite Muslim organization, according to the AP. He contracted the virus while serving his time in Bahrain’s Jau prison. A virus outbreak began there in March, prompting families of the incarcerated to protest for political prisoners’ release, according to Al Jazeera.
