Canadian Man Freed From Jail Nightmare, while Hundreds of others Continue to Languish in Prison by Finian Cunningham

by Finian Cunningham
Featured Writer
Dandelion Salad
East Africa
17 February 2012

The nightmare is over for Canadian man Naser Al Raas after he gained his freedom from a five-year prison sentence in Bahrain.

Family and supporters were jubilant after an appeal court in the Persian Gulf Kingdom acquitted Naser of all charges on Wednesday.

Their relief over the ruling was made all the more emphatic because the 29-year-old Canadian citizen suffers from a congenital heart condition. Nearly a year of illegal detention, torture and military court hearings had taken a severe toll on his health. He was even denied access by the Bahraini regime to the prescription medicine to treat his pulmonary embolism.

Canadian’s Prison Release in Bahrain Raises Hopes of Freedom by Finian Cunningham

by Finian Cunningham
Featured Writer
Dandelion Salad
East Africa
7 February 2012

Canadian citizen Naser Al Raas was unexpectedly released from prison in Bahrain earlier this week, raising hopes that he may soon be able to return to Canada a free man.

His family is hoping that the reprieve from custody on medical grounds may signal his eventual acquittal or royal pardon. Relatives have been told that a legal decision will be made on 16 February. His plight has attracted widespread international public support, despite the seeming indifference of the Canadian government to intervene.

Canadian Government Silence Over Torture Reeks of Hypocrisy by Finian Cunningham

by Finian Cunningham
Featured Writer
Dandelion Salad
East Africa
20 November 2011

A chronically ill Canadian man who has endured torture at the hands of the Western-backed Bahraini regime is facing a five-year jail sentence that could put his life at risk.

For the past eight months, Naser Al Raas (28), from Ottawa, has been subjected to a nightmarish  ordeal: illegally detained for weeks, tortured, prosecuted by a military court, charged with offences on the basis of forced confession, denied legal counsel, and finally sentenced to five years’ imprisonment for offences he says he did not commit. On Monday, 21 November, he will hear the verdict of his appeal for release.

Canadian Citizen Tortured in Bahrain… But Harper Government Keeps Silent by Finian Cunningham

by Finian Cunningham
Featured Writer
Dandelion Salad
Belfast, Ireland
July 17, 2011

A young Canadian man suffering from a serious heart condition has been abducted and tortured by the Bahraini regime – yet the government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper has maintained a steadfast silence over his plight.

This lack of action by the Harper government is in spite of the fact that the Canadian Consuls in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia are fully aware of the case.