News / Persian Gulf

Bahrain revokes nationality of dozens of political dissidents

Tuesday, 25 April 2017 3:14 PM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 25 April 2017 6:25 PM ]

This file photo shows a view of Bahrain’s Ministry of Justice, Islamic Affairs building in the capital Manama.

Bahraini courts have revoked the citizenship of dozens of people as part of the ruling Al Khalifah regime’s oppressive measures and heavy-handed crackdown on political dissidents and pro-democracy campaigners in the tiny Persian Gulf kingdom.

On Tuesday, the courts sentenced three defendants to life imprisonment, while the rest were slapped with between three and ten years in jail. The activists were all found guilty of “forming a terror cell and illegally possessing explosives,” Arabic-language Lualua television network reported.

The development came only two days after Bahrain’s Supreme Court of Appeal sentenced three defendants to 15 years and three others to 10 years behind bars.

The seventh defendant was slapped with three years in jail.

They were all charged with “forming a terror cell and possessing explosives in the western village of Dar Kulaib.”

Thousands of anti-regime protesters have held numerous demonstrations in Bahrain on an almost daily basis ever since a popular uprising began in the country on February 14, 2011.

They are demanding that the Al Khalifah dynasty relinquish power and a just system representing all Bahrainis be established.

Manama has spared no effort in clamping down on dissent and rights activists. On March 14, 2011, troops from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were deployed to Bahrain to assist the Manama government in its crackdown on peaceful protesters.

Scores of people have lost their lives and hundreds of others sustained injuries or got arrested as a result of Al Khalifah regime’s crackdown on anti-regime activists.

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