Perhaps the most touching tributes to Bahraini human rights activist Maryam al Khawaja, who was arrested last week, are on the #maryammatterstome twitter hashtag. People from various parts of the world pay tribute to her courageous human rights advocacy but also recognize her easy approachability, her basic niceness. @Coexistor says “#maryammatterstome bc at HRF NY film screening & talk, she inspired a group of young students to commit to something greater than themselves”, and @TaraAOGrady says “#MaryamMattersToMe because the first time I met her she came to see me in hospital when Id anaphylactic shock in Peru! Friends ever since!” I know what they mean – I went to Cairo with Maryam in May 2012 to meet with a range of people, human rights activists and others. She’s great company and wonderfully impressive. Since early 2011 she’s been based outside of Bahrain after she left to advocate internationally against the regime’s crackdown. The Bahrain uprising began on February 14, 2011, a couple of weeks after the Egyptian mass protests. At that time Bahrainis took to their version of Tahrir Square – the Pearl Roundabout – to peacefully call for democratic reform. In the days,…
