News / Persian Gulf

Bahraini court strips 13 inmates of citizenship

Monday, 23 November 2015 7:04 PM [ Last Update: Monday, 23 November 2015 7:04 PM ]

Regime forces crack down on Bahraini anti-government protesters on May 16, 2012, in Daih, Bahrain, on the edge of the capital of Manama (AP Photo)

A court in Bahrain has revoked the citizenship of over a dozen people in the tiny Persian Gulf kingdom for allegedly establishing a terrorist cell.

Bahrain's Mirror news site reported on Monday that the court revoked the citizenship of 13 Bahrianis after sentencing each to 10 to 15 years in jail.

Most activists opposed to the Al Khalifa regime are convicted by Bahraini courts for establishing terrorist groups, the report added.

The defense lawyer, Mohammad al-Tajer, said the court had “illegally” revoked the citizenship of his clients.

“There was no mention of citizenship revocation in the court’ sentences,” he said, adding, “The revocation of my clients’ citizenship was told to me by phone.”

238 Bahrainis have been stripped of their citizenship since the start of an uprising in the country, according to the report.

In April, the UK-based rights organization, Amnesty International, published a report entitled “Behind the rhetoric: Human rights abuses in Bahrain continue unabated.” In the report, the group slammed Manama’s brutal actions against its population, including, resorting to torture, arbitrary detentions, and the excessive use of force against peaceful opposition.

Since 2011, scores of Bahrainis have been killed and hundreds of others injured or arrested in an ongoing crackdown on peaceful protesters

Since mid-February 2011, multitudes of protesters opposed to the brutal regime have held numerous peaceful rallies in the streets of the island kingdom, demanding their inalienable human rights. The demonstrators gradually demanded the Al Khalifa family to relinquish power.

In response, the regime has dealt with peaceful protesters with a heavy-handed crackdown, killing scores of people and injuring and arresting many more.

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