Bahrain Mirror (Exclusive): "I can't guarantee that I will live but I'm not scared, if I depart this life, all I wish for is to leave a mark...I want to end the oppression I witnessed in Bahrain."

This is what you said to Bahrain Mirror in an interview in 2015, only a week after doctors informed you that your heart has become very weak, and said that you cannot walk more than 100 meters, need to use a wheelchair and wear a nasal cannula at all times.

Your heart grew weak and became weary, yet your love for Bahrain never weakened. Your heart, which was exhausted to the extent that you were incapable of movement and activity like any man your age, never became; however, tired of advocating the Bahraini cause which occupied a place in your heart. Love in one's heart is what ignites it even if it was weary physically, for by love one moves, speaks and lives.

The wheelchair and the oxygen tubes you were bound to didn't stop your movement, and failed to make you a prisoner of illness. They didn't urge you to say to yourself "I have done all that I could towards this cause that I believed in, and my health condition cannot take more exhaustion, anxiety and struggle," yet you didn't do that. On the contrary, you turned that wheelchair and nasal cannula into companions of your fight. They accompanied you to human rights sessions and everyplace that would allow you to voice your testimony on Bahrain: What you witnessed with your very eyes in the Lualua Roundabout, the screams you heard with your very ears when martyr Fakhrawi was being tortured until he was silenced forever, the electrocution and brutal torture you were subjected to in Bahraini prisons, and all the struggles of the Bahraini people with the oppressive regime. Your wheelchair and nasal cannula became partners in your difficult journey; they never tire or slack just like their stubborn companion.

"I shall not be weak; those who tortured and oppressed me will never see my weakness. I get my strength from those around me and from you," you said. We bear witnesses that you remained strong even in your most vulnerable moments. You taught us that true power doesn't come from a strong beating heart but rather a very loving heart. Nasser, you weakened your enemies and they were unable to weaken you not even for a second.

You wanted to put an end to the oppression the Bahrainis are subjected to, and all you ever wished for was leaving a trace. If you only knew the mark you have left in the hearts of Bahrainis and how your death grieved Bahrainis who expressed their sorrow over losing you all over social media. If only you could take one look and see how you are present among us...You gave Bahrainis your heart and true love without expecting anything in return and so Bahrainis hold and cherish you in their hearts. You left a mark that shall never fade, so rest in peace for it's time for your heart to finally be at ease.

Arabic Version