Sheikha Hala, wife of Bahrain's crown prince, dies
Sheikha Hala, wife of Bahrain's crown prince, dies
Sheikha Hala bint D'aji Al Khalifa, the wife of Bahrain's crown prince, has died, the country's news agency has reported
2 min read
Sheikha Hala with the Duchess of Cornwall in 2016 at a women's refuge [Getty]
Sheikha Hala bint D'aji Al Khalifa, the wife of Bahrain's crown prince, has died.
The state-run Bahrain News Agency announced Sheikha Hala's death early Sunday morning. It offered no details, nor gave her age.
Sheikha Hala was married to Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, who is 48. The couple had four children, including their son Prince Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa, 28, who is second in line to the throne after his father.
Sheikha Hala kept a low profile, but launched an anti-child abuse program in the island kingdom in 2003. She also did other charity work.
Bahrain, off the coast of Saudi Arabia, is home to the US Navy's 5th Fleet and a British naval base. The kingdom is in the midst of a yearslong crackdown on all dissent.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai, and Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the ruler of Abu Dhabi, were quick to send their official condolences to their Bahraini counterpart.
This year, more than 200 people have been stripped of their Bahraini nationality for "terrorism" charges, including 115 in a mass terrorism trial last month.
Rights group Amnesty International called on Bahrain to quash the hundreds of convictions and "end the practice of arbitrary deprivation of nationality".
Rights group Amnesty International called on Bahrain to quash the hundreds of convictions and "end the practice of arbitrary deprivation of nationality".
Bahrain has jailed dozens of high-profile activists and clerics since protests demanding an elected government erupted in early 2011.
The Bahraini government has accused Shia Iran of backing the protests and attempting to overthrow the government. Tehran denies involvement.
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