Bahrain: Hunger striker Abdulhadi al-Khawaja appears in court

A jailed activist who has been on a hunger strike since February made his first public appearance in months yesterday, attending a court hearing in a wheelchair.

Abdulhadi al-Khawaja looked frail but spoke in a clear voice as he and others claimed they were tortured and abused in custody.

Mr Khawaja and seven other activists were jailed for life last year under a crackdown by Bahrain's Sunni rulers against a Shia-led uprising calling for a greater political voice.