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Bahrain has revoked the citizenship of 69 people over their support for Iran's attacks on the kingdom, state media reported on Monday.
The decision targets those accused of “expressing sympathy for or glorifying” what authorities called Iran’s hostile actions, as well as those involved in espionage with foreign actors, the Bahrain News Agency said.
The move came in accordance with the directives of King Hamad bin Isa and under the mandate of Crown Prince and Prime Minister Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, as part of efforts to safeguard the kingdom’s security and stability.
Authorities said the revocations were carried out in accordance with Article (10/3) of Bahrain’s nationality law, which allows citizenship to be withdrawn in cases deemed harmful to state interests or contrary to the duty of loyalty.
The state news agency published the names of the 69 people whose citizenship was revoked, including those found guilty of breaking the law, as well as their dependents.
All those affected are of non-Bahraini origin, officials said. The relevant authorities will take the necessary measures to implement the decision. Reviews of citizenship eligibility are continuing.
King Hamad this month ordered officials to take action against alleged traitors and “consider who deserves Bahraini citizenship and who does not”, official media reported.
Bahrain was among the Gulf countries targeted by Iran in retaliatory strikes after the US and Israel began attacking the Islamic Republic on February 28. The Iranian attacks targeted energy and civilian infrastructure in the Gulf.
Bahrain's Defence Force said the country's air defences intercepted and destroyed 194 Iranian missiles and 523 drones before a ceasefire between Iran and the US and Israel came into effect on April 8.
Bahrain – home to the US Navy's Fifth Fleet – has already taken action against more than a dozen people with alleged links to Tehran or the Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah. Fourteen people were charged last month with spying for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Accusations include receiving funds from Iran, leaking state secrets and, in one case, receiving military training at IRGC camps. In a separate case, three people were accused of collecting funds under the guise of charitable work but transferring them to Hezbollah.
Like the UAE and other affected countries, Bahrain also warned residents not to share images of Iranian attacks.
Six people last month had their Kuwaiti citizenship stripped over similar allegations of working with Hezbollah. Kuwait revoked the citizenship of almost 50,000 people last year in a sweeping review of nationality files.
