06/11/2026
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06/11/2026
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MANAMA, Nov 6 : Bahrain has stripped the citizenship of 69 citizens of Iranian heritage and intensified a crackdown on Shi'ite Muslim clerics following the war with Iran, as authorities accuse some groups of placing loyalty to Tehran above the kingdom's sovereignty.
More than 50 clerics and religious speakers were arrested between May and June, according to Reuters, with authorities accusing them of involvement in an alleged terrorist group that sought to incite rebellion and overthrow Bahrain's ruling order with the help of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Lt. Gen. Tariq Al Hassan, head of Bahrain's Public Security agency, defended the measures, saying the authorities were confronting an ideology that demanded loyalty to Iran's leadership over Bahrain's sovereign authority.
“We are confronting an ideology that demands obedience to Iran's leadership above Bahrain's sovereign authority,” Al Hassan told Reuters.
Bahraini authorities said the crackdown followed concerns over the accuracy of Iranian attacks on the kingdom during the war and public expressions of support for some of those attacks by Bahrainis.
Around a dozen people have also been sentenced to prison terms of between five and 10 years for allegedly expressing support for the attacks, Reuters reported. Reuters
Authorities have accused the detained clerics of promoting followers' subordination to Iran's Supreme Leader under the doctrine of Wilayet al-Faqih, or Guardianship of the Jurist.
However, relatives and lawyers of some of those on trial have denied allegations that the clerics sought to overthrow the state or acted on behalf of Iran, arguing that authorities were criminalising religious beliefs.
On Friday, 20 rights groups, including Human Rights Watch and the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy, raised concerns over allegations of torture, coerced confessions and due-process violations. Bahrain has denied that its actions target Shi'ite citizens as a community, with Al Hassan saying that the overwhelming majority were law-abiding and loyal citizens.
A verdict in the case involving the clerics is expected on November 8, with authorities preparing for the possibility of protests (Reuters).
