Bahrain jails 5 Shiites, revokes their citizenships

Bahrain on Monday jailed five Shiites on charges linked to “terrorism” and revoked their citizenships, the prosecution said, as authorities in the Gulf kingdom crack down on the opposition.
Three defendants were found guilty of joining the clandestine “Al-Mukhtar Brigades” Shiite group, possession of weapons for use in “terror” attacks and assaulting police, a prosecution statement said.
The criminal court sentenced each to 15 years in jail and stripped all three of their Bahraini citizenships, the statement said, adding that one of them is a fugitive on the run in Iraq.
The same court also jailed two alleged members of the outlawed Wafa Islamic Movement to 10 years and three years respectively after convicting them of taking part in a “terrorist” bombing carried out by the group, the prosecution said, adding that their nationalities were also revoked.
Authorities have stripped at least 261 Bahrainis of their citizenship since 2012, according to the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, including the Gulf state’s Shiite spiritual leader Sheikh Isa Qassem.
Activists have said that those losing their nationalities are usually given a one-year passport and a travel ticket to get to their destination.

Source: Arab News