Bahrain Mirror (Exclusive): On September 20, 2016, all social media outlets in Bahrain were flooding with statements and comments on the demise of the Kuwaiti-Canadian national Nasser Al-Ras (33 years old), one of the Bahraini regime's torture victims and witness of the killing of martyr Abdulkarim Fakhrawi as a result of torture in prison.

Bahrainis expressed their condolences over Al-Ras's death, deeming him a martyr and torture victim. They declared that they were proud to have him as an "advocate" for the Bahraini cause.

Bahrain Teachers' Association President Mahdi Abu Deeb, who was a Al-Ras's cellmate when they were held at Dry Dock Prison, wrote on his personal Twitter account: "#Nasser_Al-Ras We were tortured, beaten and insulted in the National Safety Courts, you were with us bearing all of this in patience and you faced it with your smile."

"I was surprised to see to what extent the young and the old loved him until we were held in the same prison cell," Abu Deeb added, further addressing addressing Al-Ras: "You left very early. You left before you even achieved your dreams. My son Nasser, when I say you are beautiful, I mean it because you are beautiful in all the meanings and measures, especially your pure and rebellious soul."

For his part, Bahraini writer residing in Canada, Ali Al-Dairy, wrote on his Facebook page: "When I met Nasser for the very first time in Beirut in March 2012, he did not tell me about his ill heart, he told me about his loving heart. He was dynamic and certain. He spoke to me about our friends. He was heading to Canada at the time and I don't know whether his heart had this extreme power to grant me a "Canadian fate" as I followed him there four years later."

"You don't need to study human rights Nasser, Bahraini people have given you a great certificate. Bahrainis tested your heart and found that it memorized these rights and believed in them." said Ali Al-Dairy addressing Al-Ras, adding: "I told his wife 40 hours before he passed away, we can't do anything, please tell us to do something that would put us at ease. She replied in a sad voice "the doctor gave Nasser his time of death. I only ask you to pray for him."

"Al-Ras left and taught us a lesson in freedom and struggle. The executioner's whips did not break his will and his illness did not stop his activism. He was loyal and steadfast in all the struggle levels against tyranny," read the page of detained Bahraini human rights Nabeel Rajab. "After Al-Ras was exiled from Bahrain, he started to study human rights and continued his journey in supporting the Bahraini case and speaking out loud about the violations. His illness exhausted him, but did stop him," he added.

"In my last call with Nasser Al-Ras, he asked me not to tell my father about his deteriorating health condition and said in his beautiful Kuwaiti accent: he has enough to deal with," Adam Nabeel Rajab wrote on Twitter.

The Bahraini poet and author Jaafar Al-Jamri tweeted saying: "#Nasser_Al Ras: the martyr and witness of the killings. Such a man does cannot be satisfied but with eternity. Such grand souls will live on."

"To those who do not know #Nasser_AlRas...Nasser was a free youth. He loved everybody and adored freedom," said Bahraini journalist Rima Khalifa.

As for Tweeter Hassan Al-Sharqi, he posted: "You left, but you will always remain in the heart of every Bahraini you defended. Your name will always be engraved in the memory of the Bahraini struggle."

Bahraini authorities arrested Nasser Al-Ras over taking part in the Lualua Roundabout protests and sued him over charges of working for the Lualua media center as a technical expert. He was subjected to brutal torture while in prison, although he suffered from an enlarged heart and clots that affected his lungs. He left Bahrain on February 26, 2012 via his Canadian passport. His health deteriorated in the past few days prior to his death and he went into a coma a couple of days ago in one of Toronto's hospitals, and passed away on Tuesday (September 20, 2016).  

Arabic Version