ugc_banner

'Lewis, please save my father': Bahraini child requests Hamilton to save his father from death penalty

WION Web Team
Abu Dhabi, United Arab EmiratesUpdated: Dec 13, 2020, 10:00 PM IST
main img
Lewis Hamilton Photograph:(Reuters)

Story highlights

'I really hope Lewis Hamilton delivers my message so my dad can come back home,' the 11-year-old boy said

Sports celebrities are used to receiving fan mail, but the Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton received a very unique fan letter from a young boy — a request to save his father.

An 11-year-old boy from Bahrain reached out to Lewis Hamilton to urge him to help him save his father who is facing a death penalty. Ahmed Ramadhan drew a picture of Hamilton's racecar and wrote, "Lewis, please save my father."

Hamilton, during a press conference in the United Arab Emirates capital talked about receiving this letter. "I think the saddest thing for me was that there's a young man on death row and it's not clear ... and when his son writes me a letter it really hits home," he said.

He assured he will be getting in contact with the boy to sort out the matter as much as possible. "I think there's definitely work to be done in the background and I definitely won't let it go unnoticed," the seven-time Formula 1 champion said.

The 11-year-old said he is hoping his hero can save his father from getting caught in this system. "When I was drawing the car, I felt hope that it might save my father's life," the boy said.

Wishing his dad is released and returns back home soon, he continued, "I really hope Lewis Hamilton delivers my message so my dad can come back home."

Ahmed's father was arrested and sentenced to death by a top court of Bahrain on the charge of murdering a police officer in a bomb attack. Mohamed Ramadhan was sentenced along with Hussain Moosa. However, it was later alleged that the confessions from the two were extracted through extreme torture.

Talking about the case, Hamilton said he had been hoping to have a conversation in private with Bahrain's Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, but his infection had forced him to cancel the plans. "I'd hoped... to sit and address it with the crown prince, but I was bed-ridden for most of the week," he explained.