Five jailed for life in Bahrain over alleged Iran-linked plot, one acquitted

MANAMA: A Bahraini court on Tuesday handed life sentences to five people after convicting them of planning what authorities described as terrorist and hostile acts in coordination with Iran, according to the public prosecution.

The High Criminal Court convicted two Afghan nationals and three Bahrainis in the case, while acquitting a fourth Bahraini defendant, the prosecution said in a statement.

The defendants were accused of carrying out surveillance and taking photographs of vital facilities for Iran.

“The Public Prosecution affirms that the crime of communicating with hostile foreign entities against the Kingdom of Bahrain is considered one of the most serious crimes affecting national security,” the statement said.

The prosecution also said it was considering whether to challenge the acquittal of the sixth defendant.

Regional tensions

The case comes amid heightened tensions in the Gulf during the wider Middle East war. Iran launched repeated missile and drone attacks on Gulf states, including Bahrain, in response to US and Israeli strikes on the Islamic republic that triggered the conflict on February 28.

Last month, Human Rights Watch voiced concern over the detention of dozens of people across the region since the war began.

Citizenship revocations

On Monday, Bahrain revoked the citizenship of 69 people, saying they had supported hostile Iranian acts.

Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei, advocacy director at the Britain-based Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD), criticised that step and described it as the beginning of a dangerous era of repression. He also said the decisions were imposed without legal safeguards or any right of appeal.

BIRD said it was the first time Bahrain had stripped people of citizenship since 2019.

The rights group also said that between 2012 and 2019, Bahrain revoked the nationality of at least 990 citizens.

The latest court ruling and the citizenship revocations reflect Bahrain’s stated response to what it says are Iran-linked threats to its national security. The prosecution’s statement framed contact with hostile foreign entities as among the gravest offences affecting the kingdom.

The court decision specifically involved six defendants in total, with five receiving life terms and one being cleared. The convicted group comprised two Afghans and three Bahrainis, while the acquitted individual was identified as a Bahraini.