8 February 2016 – In the five years since the ‘Arab Spring’ uprising, which began on 14 February 2011, the stripping of citizenship has emerged as one of the most disturbing methods used to silence dissent. The first exercise of this power was in November 2012, when the Minister of Interior revoked the nationality of 31 opposition activists, ex-MPs and members of civil society. Many of them were rendered stateless, and in 2014 ten of them were ordered for deportation.
Since then, the Minister of Interior’s powers have been formalised and the criminal courts have also been empowered to strip citizenship, under July 2014 amendments to the 1963 Citizenship Law. Persons can be stripped of citizenship for being security threats and if found “guilty” on terrorism charges. Bahrain’s unfair trial system, which relies heavily on confessions, lends itself to torture, the practice of which remains systematic.
In all, 260 persons have had their citizenship stripped. 208 of them lost their citizenship in 2015 alone. The majority of them will have been rendered stateless. Those made stateless can no longer renew their national ID cards. They cannot be legally employed, or registered in hospitals. They cannot renew their banking information and may be at risk of losing government-provided housing. Ten of the Bahrainis stripped of citizenship in 2012 were found guilty of illegal residency in 2014 and ordered to leave the country.
In 2014, the criminal courts exercised their new powers a few times, but it was in 2015 that the punishment became a common occurrence. The first and fourth criminal courts revoked the nationalities of 134 defendants in ten criminal cases. The largest such case, on 11 June 2015, saw 56 persons stripped of citizenship. November 2015 witnessed the heaviest court activity, with four separate case in which 31 persons were stripped of citizenship. Five persons stripped of citizenship were also sentenced to death.
In January 2015, the Minister of Interior exercised his powers again and revoked the nationality of 72 people. This remains the single largest act of its kind to date. Approximately 50 of those stripped of citizenship were from Bahrain’s civil society, many of them exiles, and included human rights activists, journalists, political activists and religious figures. Sending a deeply troubling message, the remainder, approximately 20 individuals, are known or suspected members of Al Qaeda and the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. To the Government of Bahrain, peaceful civil society is equated to terrorism.
BIRD strongly condemns all unfair exercise of the revocation of nationality, by both the Minister of Interior and the courts, and especially in cases where persons are rendered stateless. The stripping of citizenship of persons sentenced to death is particularly shocking, especially where there is reasonable risk that the individuals were tortured. We call on the Government of Bahrain to amend the Citizenship and Anti-Terrorism laws which allow the stripping of citizenship, to strengthen accountable oversight over such a process, and to reinstate the nationality of all persons rendered non-Bahraini for political reasons.
To mark the 5th anniversary of the 14 February 2011 protests, BIRD is publishing our documentation on the persons stripped of citizenship. Below is every person known to have been stripped of citizenship, their case, and their sentences.
Read the accompanying documentation, which features further information on each particular case and the persons involved.
Read our Director of Advocacy’s opinion on the practice.
Infographic: 5 Step Guide to Revoking Citizenship in Bahrain
Infographic: Timeline of Revoked Citizenships
31 December 2015: Demistan Case
| No. | Full Name | Sentence |
| 1 | Hussein Abdulla Khalil Ebrahim | Death |
| 2 | Ahmed Isa Abdulhussein Hussein | Life |
| 3 | Mohsin Ebrahim Ali Al-Majed | Life |
| 4 | Ahmed Mohammad Ahmed Fallah | Life |
| 5 | Jassem Mohammad Rashed Khalil Ebrahim | Life |
| 6 | Mohammad Hassan Mohammad Mahfooz | Life |
| 7 | Mohammad Abdullah Mohammad Kathem | Life |
| 8 | Jafar Abdullah Jafar Al-Dhaif | Life |
| 9 | Mohammad Abdullah Jafar Al-Dhaif | Life |
| 10 | Hussain Mohammad Ahmed Fallah | Life |
| 11 | Mujtaba Aqeel Ebrahim Al-Majed | Life |
| 12 | Mohammad Aqeel Ebrahim Al-Majed | Life |
| 13 | Hassan Ebrahim Ali Makki | Life |
| 14 | Mohammad Saeed Ahmed Hassan Salim | Life |
| 15 | Mohammad Saleh Hassan Makki | Life |
| 16 | Ahmed Mohammad Abdullah Mohammad | Life |
| 17 | Ali Ebrahim Kathem Ebrahim | Life |
| 18 | Abdulla Nasser Mohammad Abdulwahhab | Life |
| 19 | Mohammad Habib Hilal Ahmed Yousif | Life |
| 20 | Ahmed Mohammad Habib Mohammad | Life |
| 21 | Ali Mohammad Habib Mohammad | Life |
| 22 | Mohammad Jafar Mohammad Al-Demistani | Life |
| 23 | Mohammad Habib Abdulaziz Mohammad | Life |
29 December 2015: Criminal Case
| No. | Full Name | Sentence |
| 24 | Name Unknown | 5 |
| 25 | Name Unknown | 10 |
23 November 2015: Criminal Case
| No. | Full Name | Sentence |
| 26 | Mohammad Jawad Sabah Abdulmohsin | 15 |
| 27 | Hassan Sabah Abdulmohsin Mohammad | 15 |
| 28 | Sayed Ali Nezar Alawi Hassan | 15 |
| 29 | Mohammad Jawad Ebrahim Ali | 10 |
| 30 | Hussain Hilal Ahmen Al-Zaki | 10 |
| 31 | Ali Abdulshaheed Ali Yousif Al-Singace | 10 |
| 32 | Hassan Ahmed Kathem Hassan | 10 |
| 33 | Sayed Mohammad Salman Mahdi Mohsin Al-Musawi | 10 |
| 34 | Sayed Ahmed Salman Mahdi Mohsin Al-Musawi | 10 |
| 35 | Hassan Mohammad Ali Al-Zaki | 10 |
| 36 | Mohammad Ebrahim Mulla Ahmed | 10 |
| 37 | Jassem Yaqoub Yousef Mohammad | 10 |
| 38 | Jassem Mousa Jafar | 10 |
15 November 2015: Criminal Case
| No. | Full Name | Sentence |
| 39 | Hassan Sabah Abdul Mohsin | Life |
| 40 | Jafar Ali Matooq | Life |
| 41 | Ahmed Matooq Ebrahim | Life |
| 42 | Ahmed Saeed | Life |
| 43 | Sayed Alawi Taleb | Life |
| 44 | Sayed Mohammad Saeed | Life |
| 45 | Sayed Mahdi Sayed Hayder | Life |
| 46 | Rida Khalil Jafar | Life |
| 47 | Hassan Idris | Life |
| 48 | Ali Abdulamir | Life |
| 49 | Hussein Zaki Al-Madoob | Life |
| 50 | Sayed Mahdi Hussain Ni’ma | Life |
9 November 2015: Criminal Case
| No. | Full Name | Sentence |
| 51 | Jafar Jassim Majid Habib | 10 |
| 52 | Ebrahim Mohammad Al-Farhood | 10 |
5 November 2015: Criminal Case
| No. | Full Name | Sentence |
| 53 | Ahmed Al Sayed Hussein Sharaf | Life |
| 54 | Ali Abdul Hussein Ali Ahmed | Life |
| 55 | Fadhel Abbas Ali Isa | Life |
| 56 | Sadiq Khalil Ebrahim Al-Hayaki | Life |
| 57 | Jassim Ahmed Abdullah | Life |
11 June 2015: Bani Jamra Case
| No. | Full Name | Sentence |
| 58 | Habib Abdulla Ali | Life |
| 59 | Ahmad Jafar Mohammad | 10 |
| 60 | Sadiq Abdulla Isa Abdulla Al-Ghusra | 15 |
| 61 | Ahmed Mohammad Saleh Al-Arab | Life |
| 62 | Sayed Mustafa Amin Ebrahim Ismael | 15 |
| 63 | Jameel Mohammad Hussain Al-Jamri | Life |
| 64 | Ali Abdulamir Ali Hassan Khamis | 15 |
| 65 | Kathim Abdulla Jafar Kathim | 15 |
| 66 | Hassan Abdulla Isa Abdulla Al-Ghusra | 15 |
| 67 | Wa’il Mohammad Hussein Mohammad Ahmed | 15 |
| 68 | Hussain Jafar Ali Fateel | 15 |
| 69 | Hussain Ali Hussain Ahmed | 15 |
| 70 | Ali Abdulwahid Ebrahim Khalil Parweez | 15 |
| 71 | Jafar Hussain Mohammad Isa Adam | 15 |
| 72 | Mahmud Mohammad Ali Musa | 15 |
| 73 | Yassin Abdulwahid Yousif Idris Al-Ghanimi | Life |
| 74 | Majid Mohammad Jassim Ahmed Al-Dilal | 10 |
| 75 | Habib Ali Habib Allawi | 10 |
| 76 | Yasser Abdulla Isa Abdulla Al-Ghusra | 10 |
| 77 | Ayman Abdulla Isa Abdulla Al-Ghusra | 10 |
| 78 | Mustafa Ali Jafar Mohammad Jafar Al-Jamri | 10 |
| 79 | Hussain Jafar Abdulrida Jafar Mohammad | 10 |
| 80 | Jawad Abdulla Al-Arab | 15 |
| 81 | Ali Taher Jafar Al-Shamimi | 10 |
| 82 | Ali Ahmed Ebrahim Ali Haroun | 10 |
| 83 | Hussein Mahdi Hassan Saeed | 10 |
| 84 | Ali Mahdi Hassan Saeed | 10 |
| 85 | Mujtaba Jafar Ali Ahmed Fateel | 10 |
| 86 | Ahmed Abdulla Ali Mulla Al-Arab | 10 |
| 87 | Hussain Isa Mohammad Adam | 10 |
| 88 | Ammar Hussein Mohammad Isa Adam | 10 |
| 89 | Hussein Abduljameel Hussein Ali Abdulrasool | 10 |
| 90 | Jafar Mohammad Jassim Al-Dalal | 15 |
| 91 | Yassin Mohammad Jassim Al-Dalal | 10 |
| 92 | Hassan Mohammad Hussein Ali | 10 |
| 93 | Hussein Ali Mohammad Fardan | 10 |
| 94 | Hussain Ali Bashar | 10 |
| 95 | Taher Mohammad Habib Al-Ghanimi | 10 |
| 96 | Jaber Mohammad Taher Habib Al-Ghanimi | 10 |
| 97 | Ebrahim Mohammad Taher Habib | 10 |
| 98 | Sadiq Jafar Ali Hussain Al-Asfoor | 15 |
| 99 | Ali Mohammad Salman Mohammad | 15 |
| 100 | Hussain Ahmed Mohsin Ali | 15 |
| 101 | Ahmed Mohammad Saleh Jassim | 15 |
| 102 | Ali Ahmed Mohsin Ali | 15 |
| 103 | Mohammad Jafar Abdulla Hassan | 15 |
| 104 | Mohammad Jafar Abdulrahman Mansoor Al-Kathim | 15 |
| 105 | Jafar Mohammad Jafar Mohammad Saleh | 15 |
| 106 | Saleh Jafar Kathim Yousif Kathim | 10 |
| 107 | Sayed Ali Amin Ibrahim Ismail | 15 |
| 108 | Isa Abdulla Isa Al-Sarah | 10 |
| 109 | Ali Mohammad Jafar | 10 |
| 110 | Sadiq Hussain Ni’ma Ebrahim | 10 |
| 111 | Sadiq Maki Jassim Mohammad Jassim | 10 |
| 112 | Mohammad Abdullah Ebrahim Abbas Hassan | 10 |
| 113 | Ali Jalal Jafar Ali Ahmed | 13 |
29 April 2015: Ekir Case
| No. | Full Name | Sentence |
| 114 | Salman Isa Ali | Death |
| 115 | Isa Musa Abdulla | Life |
| 116 | Ali Maki Ali | Life |
| 117 | Abdulla Abduljalil Abdulla | Life |
| 118 | Abdulhadi Ali Hassan | Life |
| 119 | Yousif Abdulla Al-Natay | Life |
| 120 | Abdulamir Hassan Radi | Life |
| 121 | Hassan Abdulla Habib | Life |
| 122 | Jafar Abdulamir Jafar | 10 |
| 123 | Jafar Yousif Ahmad | 10 |
| 124 | Hussain Abdullatif Mansoor | 10 |
| 125 | Hassan Ahmed Mohammad | 10 |
23 April 2015: Sanabis Case
| No. | Full Name | Sentence |
| 126 | Hani Ahmed Marhoon | 15 |
| 127 | Ibrahim Ahmed | 15 |
| 128 | Ahmed Naim Ahmed | 15 |
26 February 2015: Daih Case
| No. | Full Name | Sentence |
| 129 | Ali Abdulshaheed Al-Singace | Death |
| 130 | Sami Mirza Mushaima | Death |
| 131 | Abbas Jamil Taher Mohammad Al-Sameea | Death |
| 132 | Ahmed Jaffar Mohammad | Life |
| 133 | Ali Jameel Taher Mohammad Al-Sameea | Life |
| 134 | Taher Yousif Ahmed Mohammad Al-Sameea | Life |
| 135 | Hussain Ahmed Rashed Khalil | Life |
| 136 | Rida Mirza Mushaima | Life |
31 January 2015: Ministerial Order
| No. | Full Name |
| 137 | Mohammed Hassan Ali Hussain |
| 138 | Farahat Khursheed Afrah Khursheed |
| 139 | Masood Mirza Jaffar Jahrami |
| 140 | Hussain Khairallah Mohammed Mahdi |
| 141 | Ali Asfandiyar Khadad Mohammed |
| 142 | Safa Al Dhawi Al-Adawi |
| 143 | Sayed Ahmed Mustafa Mohammed Al-Wadai |
| 144 | Sayed Qassim Majeed Ramadan Alawi |
| 145 | Ibrahim Ali Ibrahim Al-Aradi |
| 146 | Ibrahim Ali Hassan Al-Madhoon |
| 147 | Ishaq Faheem Ishaq Abdulrahman |
| 148 | Ahmed Jaffar Mohammed Ali |
| 149 | Ahmed Rashid Hameed Al-Jabri |
| 150 | Ahmed Ridha Mashaallah Shakeeb |
| 151 | Ahmed Mohammed Ali Saleh |
| 152 | Ayoub Mohammed Mustafa Al-Murbati |
| 153 | Turki Mubarak Abdullah Al-Binali |
| 154 | Jaffar Ahmed Hassan Al-Aal |
| 155 | Jaffar Ahmed Abdullah Salman |
| 156 | Jaffar Yahya Ali Hussain |
| 157 | Habib Abdullah Hussain Al-Jamri |
| 158 | Hassan Ahmed Abdullah Sulaiman |
| 159 | Hassan Abdullah Isa Al-Ghasra |
| 160 | Hassan Abdulnabi Hassan Ali |
| 161 | Hassan Ali Mohammed Juma Sultan |
| 162 | Hussain Jassim Ahmed Al-Hadad |
| 163 | Hussain Yousif Mohammed Jassim |
| 164 | Hamad Mubarak Juma Habib |
| 165 | Khalid Mohammed Abdullah Ali Al-Mannai |
| 166 | Daij Khalifa Abdullah Al-Thawadi |
| 167 | Rashid Ahmed Rashid Al-Rashid |
| 168 | Sami Ahmed Hamad Al-Mannai |
| 169 | Salman Ibrahim Mohammed Ali |
| 170 | Salman Abdullah Darweesh Abdullah |
| 171 | Salman Alyan Turki Al-Ashban |
| 172 | Saber Ali Ahmed Al-Salatna |
| 173 | Dhafer Salah Ali Saleh |
| 174 | Obada Adel Hassan Hamad |
| 175 | Abbas Hassan Ali Abusafwan |
| 176 | Abdulamir Jaffar Rashid Al-Aradi |
| 177 | Abdulaziz Nazar Ali Al-Jowder |
| 178 | Abdulghani Isa Ali Al-Khanjar |
| 179 | Abdullah Ibrahim Ahmed Al-Saleh |
| 180 | Abdullah Abdulrahim Abdullah Fakhro |
| 181 | Aqeel Ahmed Ali Mahfoodh |
| 182 | Aqeel Jaffar Ahmed Ridha |
| 183 | Ali Ahmed Ali Abdullah Al-Dairi |
| 184 | Ali Hassan Abdulrahman Fakhro |
| 185 | Ali Hassan Abdullah Abdulimam |
| 186 | Ali Mubarak Abdullah Al-Binali |
| 187 | Ali Mahmood Jaffar Al-Kharaz |
| 188 | Ammar Ahmed Ali Saqer Al-Atawi |
| 189 | Omar Jassim Mohammed Buzaboon |
| 190 | Omar Abdullah Mohammed Ali Al-Qahtani |
| 191 | Isa Abdullah Isa Al Sarh |
| 192 | Kareem Isa Ali Al Mahroos |
| 193 | Maher Othman Saleh Abadi |
| 194 | Mohammed Ali Ahmed Al-Tal |
| 195 | Mohammed Isa Yousif Saqar Al-Binali |
| 196 | Mohammed Mubarak Abdullah Al-Binali |
| 197 | Mahmood Nasser Juma Mushaima |
| 198 | Murtadha Majeed Ramadan Al-Sindi |
| 199 | Muhanad Yousif Hussain Al-Harmi |
| 200 | Maytham Omran Hussain Al-Jamri |
| 201 | Mirza Mohammed Ali Ramadan |
| 202 | Naji Ali Naji Qassim Al-Ruqaimi |
| 203 | Nawaf Mohammed Ahmed Saif |
| 204 | Yasser Abdulhussain Ali Al-Sayegh |
| 205 | Yasser Abdullah Isa Al-Ghusra |
| 206 | Yahya Ali Yahya Al-Hadid |
| 207 | Yousif Ahmed Hamad Abdullah Al-Mannai |
| 208 | Yousif Omran Jassim Omran |
20 November 2014: Ekir Case
| No. | Full Name | Sentence |
| 209 | Mohammad Abdulamir Abbas Hassan | 10 |
| 210 | Ahmed Yousif Jassem Ahmed | 10 |
| 211 | Salman Isa Ali Salman | 10 |
29 September 2014: Qarya Case
| No. | Full Name | Sentence |
| 212 | Jassem Ahmed Abdulla Ahmed | Life |
| 213 | Hussein Ahmed Taher Abdulwahhab | Life |
| 214 | Sayed Ali Shubur Sharaf Shubur | Life |
| 215 | Aqeel Abdulrasool Mohammad Ahmed | Life |
| 216 | Hussein Mahdi Mohammad Ebrahim | Life |
| 217 | Ali Sabah Abdulmohsin Mohammad | Life |
| 218 | Sayed Jafar Shubur Sharaf Shubur | Life |
| 219 | Abdulmohsin Sabah Abdulmohsin Mohammad | Life |
| 220 | Mohammad Jawad Sabah Abdulmohsin | Life |
6 August 2014: Criminal Case
| No. | Full Name | Sentence |
| 221 | Hamid Jafar Mohammad | 15 |
| 222 | Nedal Ali Mohammad Isa | 15 |
| 223 | Ali Riyad Hameed Ali Sanqoor | 15 |
| 224 | Hussein Jassem Isa Al-Bana’ | 22 |
| 225 | Sayed Hashem Radi Hassan Majed | 7 |
| 226 | Mohammad Abbas Ebrahim Mahdi | 7 |
| 227 | Ali Hassan Adam Qahir | 7 |
| 228 | Ali Ahmed Al-Asfoor | 7 |
| 229 | Jalal Ali Mohammad Ali | 7 |
6 November 2012: Ministerial Order
| No. | Full Name |
| 230 | Saeed Al-Shehabi |
| 231 | Ebrahim Ghuloom Karimi |
| 232 | Jafar Ahmed Al-Hasabi |
| 233 | Ali Hassan Mushaima |
| 234 | Abdulraouf Al-Shehabi |
| 235 | Mousa Abdali Mohammad |
| 236 | Abbas Abdulaziz Omran |
| 237 | Mohammad Mahmoud Al-Kharraz |
| 238 | Qasim Badr Hashem |
| 239 | Hassan Amir Akbar Sadiq |
| 240 | Sayed Mohammad Ali Al-Mousawi |
| 241 | Abdulhadi Abdulrasoul Ahmed |
| 242 | Alawi Saeed Sayed Sharaf |
| 243 | Hussain Abdulshaheed Hubail |
| 244 | Husain Mirza Abdulbaqi |
| 245 | Khalid Hameed Mansour |
| 246 | Kamal Ahmed Ali |
| 247 | Ghulam Khairallah Mohammadi |
| 248 | Mohammad Ebrahim Hussain Fathi |
| 249 | Sayed Abdulnabi Al Mousawi |
| 250 | Taymour Abdulla Jumaa Karimi |
| 251 | Mohammed Ridha Mortadha Abed |
| 252 | Habeeb Darweesh Ghuloom |
| 253 | Ebrahim Ghuloom Abbas |
| 254 | Mariam Sayyed Ebrahim |
| 255 | Abdulamir Ebrahim Al-Mousawi |
| 256 | Ebrahim Khalil Ghuloom |
| 257 | Ismail Khalil Ghuloom |
| 258 | Adnan Ahmed Ali |
| 259 | Jawad Fairooz Ghuloom |
| 260 | Jalal Fairooz Ghuloom |