Full Breakdown
Bahrain Revokes Citizenship of 69 Individuals Over Alleged Support for Iranian Attacks
4/28/2026, 5:27:15 AM
The Decree: Stripping Citizenship Amid Iran-Bahrain Tensions
On 27 April 2026 Bahrain’s Interior Ministry announced that the citizenship of 69 people – including family members, children and grandchildren – had been revoked. The royal decree, issued by King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and transmitted to Crown Prince and Prime Minister Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, invoked Article 10/3 of the Bahraini Nationality Law, which allows revocation “in the event of causing damage to the interests of the Kingdom or acting in a manner contrary to the duty of loyalty.” The ministry described all 69 individuals as “of non-Bahraini origin” and accused them of “sympathising with Iranian attacks” and “colluding with foreign entities.”
Context: Iranian Missile and Drone Strikes and Bahrain’s Sectarian Landscape
Iran launched missile and drone attacks on Bahrain and other Gulf states after the United States and Israel began a war against Tehran on 28 February 2026. The strikes damaged U.S. military facilities, including a naval base in Manama, and prompted a cease-fire brokered by Pakistan on 9 April. Bahrain’s majority Shiite population, long alleging marginalisation, has been repeatedly blamed by the government for being a conduit for Iranian influence. Since the February 2026 escalation, the Prison Affairs Authority reports more than 250 Shiite arrests in late-night raids.
Who Was Targeted: Families, Ajam Community, and the Legal Basis
The citizenship revocations named members of the Khurshid, Jafar, Haidar, al-Ansari and Piroozi families, many of whom belong to the Ajam (Persian-Bahraini) community with roots in Iran’s Fars, Bushehr, Khoramshahr, Sistan-Baluchistan and Lorestan provinces. The list included not only the primary individuals but also their children and grandchildren, effectively rendering entire lineages stateless and stripping them of housing, healthcare and employment benefits.
Numbers at a Glance
- 69 citizenships revoked (including relatives).
- Families cited: Khurshid, Jafar, Haidar, al-Ansari, Piroozi.
- Shiites constitute roughly 55-60 % of Bahrain’s citizen population.
- >250 Shiite arrests since 28 Feb 2026.
- 990 citizenship revocations recorded between 2012-2019; this is the first mass revocation since 2019.
Government Justifications and International Posture
The interior ministry cited Article 10/3 as legal justification. The Bahrain Defense Force’s General Command affirmed that “all its weapons and units are at the highest levels of readiness and defensive preparedness,” and warned citizens to avoid “strange or suspicious objects” that might be remnants of Iranian attacks. Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid al-Zayani addressed the United Nations Security Council, condemning Iran’s actions as a threat to global economic stability and urging a resolution to protect commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
Human-Rights Critique
Rights groups, including the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD), denounced the decree as a “blatant abuse of power” and “dangerous,” calling it a “clear violation of international law” and “the beginning of a dangerous era of repression.” Former parliamentarian Jawad Fairooz, now a U.K. citizen, described the practice as a “weapon for political punishment.” Critics note the lack of transparent legal safeguards and the risk of rendering individuals stateless.
Unresolved Details
Sources differ on whether the listed individuals have been arrested, their current whereabouts, or whether they hold alternative nationalities. The Ministry did not publicly identify the persons, and the cause of death of 32-year-old Mohammed Abdul Mohsen al-Mousawi—initially reported as “natural causes”—was later acknowledged by the Special Investigation Unit as resulting from assault, with only one person charged.
Verbatim Quotes
- “blatant abuse of power” — Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy, rights group
- “dangerous” — Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy, rights group
- “The organisation said the individuals had not been publicly identified, and it remained unclear whether they had been arrested, whether they were inside or outside Bahrain, and whether they held another nationality.” — Rights-group statement, Al Jazeera report
- “based on the text of Article 10/3 of the Bahraini Citizenship Law, which provides for the revocation of citizenship ‘in the event of causing damage to the interests of the Kingdom or acting in a manner that contradicts the duty of loyalty to it.'” — Interior Ministry, official statement
- “the beginning of a dangerous era of repression” — Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei, Advocacy Director, BIRD
- “all its weapons and units are at the highest levels of readiness and defensive preparedness,” — Bahrain Defense Force General Command
The revocations illustrate Bahrain’s hard-line response to perceived Iranian influence, while raising acute concerns about due process, statelessness and the broader use of citizenship as a tool of political control.
