Bahrain’s highest appeals court ordered on Monday the retrial of 21 opposition activists including rights activist Abdul Hadi Khawaja who has been on a hunger strike for 80 days now.

Bahrain’s highest appeals court ordered on Monday the retrial of 21 opposition activists including rights activist Abdul Hadi Khawaja who has been on a hunger strike for 80 days now.

Khawaja’s lawyer Mohammad Al-Jishi told AFP that “the court accepted the appeal and ordered a trial in the court of appeal.”

“We were hoping the verdict would be annulled but the decision will give us an opportunity to defend our clients,” he added, indicating that the date has not yet been set for the new trial.

Khawaja’s family had earlier expressed its fear of the deterioration in his health state and his transfer from the military hospital to an unknown place.

On her Twitter account, Khawaja’s wife, Khadija Al-Moussawi said that “my husband is still alive and is still on a hunger strike. He told me once against today that these are the happiest days of his life. No power could  shake this mountain.”

Indicating her husband’s deteriorating health, she quoted him as saying: “… what they did to me increased my determination to go on with this strike and attain my goal. What is happening in our country are violations that should be stopped.”