Zaynab Al Khawaja is the daughter of Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, a prominent Bahraini human rights activist who was violently arrested in his own home by Bahraini police or military forces in April. Her husband, brother-in-law and uncle were also arrested. They had been taking part in peaceful protests against the Bahraini regime. She began a hunger strike on April 12, 2011, which she abandoned after 2 weeks to care for her young child. Her father, husband, uncle and brother-in-law were released eventually, but her father has since been rearrested along with numerous colleagues.