Bahrain to release Canadian protestor after pressure from Ottawa Gov

A Canadian citizen jailed in Bahrain for taking part in anti-government demonstrations last year is to be released today following pressure from the Ottawa government, but still faces an appeal later this month.

Kuwait-born Canadian citizen Naser Al-Raas was arrested and sentenced to five years in jail for ‘hatred’ against the Bahraini government. His family appealed to the Canadian government to intervene, claiming a serious heart condition meant he would not survive incarceration.

The Canadian government said it was “deeply concerned” the Manama courts had rejected the medical evidence in the case and welcomed the news he is to be released.

"Pleased to learn that Mr. Al-Raas was released from detention, pending a decision on his appeal… Canada urges Bahrain to apply the recommendations of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry to Mr. Al-Raas’ case,” Diane Ablonczy, Canadian Minister of State of Foreign Affairs, said in a statement on Monday.

“Canada continues to provide consular assistance to Mr. Al-Raas and his family and will be following his case closely,” her spokesperson told Arabian Business.

Earlier this month, Ablonczy issued a statement urging the release of Al-Raas: “The Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry recently recommended that the Bahraini government take steps to ensure, among other things, freedom of speech and protection from arbitrary detention. Canada urges the Government of Bahrain to implement the recommendations of the Commission fully and apply them to Mr. Al-Raas’s situation.”

Al-Raas was arrested on March 20, 2011 after he attended an anti-government rally while visiting his five sisters in Bahrain. An IT specialist working in Kuwait at the time, he was questioned by police at Bahrain International Airport as he left the country.

Reports in Canada claim Al-Raas was tortured while in custody. He was tried, alongside 12 others, for participating in an opposition rally and sentenced to five years in jail.

Last month, the 12 charged alongside him were acquitted but his sentence was upheld. After going into hiding for a period, he was later arrested at a Bahrain courthouse on Feb 1 and sent to jail to await an appeal hearing on Feb 16.

His case was highlighted by many human rights organisations, including Amnesty International, and the Canadian government has also put pressure on the Bahrain regime to release him.

Bahrain last year crushed protests led by its Shi'ite Muslim majority demanding an end to sectarian discrimination and limits to the authority of the Sunni ruling family, relying in part on backing from troops from fellow Sunni-led Gulf monarchies.

More than a thousand people were detained in the crackdown, at least four of whom died in official custody. An inquiry Bahrain commissioned into the protests and government crackdown found systematic abuse of detainees, including torture.