Naser al-Raas

Naser Bader al-Raas (‎; c. 1983 – 19 September 2016) was a Canadian national who was detained by the Bahraini government for attending a pro-democracy protest of the Bahraini uprising. The charges were later dropped, and he returned to Canada on 16 February 2012.

Arrest and trials In 2011, al-Raas was working as an IT specialist in Kuwait. (al-Raas was born in Kuwait, but holds Canadian citizenship and lived from 1996 to 2000 in Ottawa.) In March, concerned by the growing unrest in Bahrain, al-Raas planned a three-week trip to visit his five sisters there and check on their safety. During his stay, he also attended an opposition rally, though he later stated in court that he had gone only to observe and had not participated.

However, on 20 March 2011, while attempting to depart Bahrain via the Bahrain International Airport, he was seized by four plainclothes police officers. According to The Toronto Star, Doctors Without Borders later recorded medical evidence confirming al-Raas's reports that he was tortured while in custody. With his health steadily deteriorating, Al-Raas was released on 28 April 2011 to the hospital, after being forced to make a video confession that he was an Iranian spy.

All charges against al-Raas were formally dropped on 16 February 2012, and he returned to Canada.

International response The Canadian government stated that it was "extremely disappointed" that al-Raas's appeal was denied, asking the Bahraini government to review the case to ensure "free political expression and protection from arbitrary detention". Amnesty International began a letter-writing campaign on al-Raas's behalf, calling for the charges against him to be dismissed and stating that the organization would designate him a prisoner of conscience if he were detained.

Death

On 20 September 2016, Naser Al Raas died while in a coma, he was in a coma before a surgery for heart and lung transplant. Naser al-Raas, 33, was undergoing medical tests in preparation for the major operation in Toronto when his heart failed, according to Amnesty International Canada