May 06, 2026
Bahrain flag encased in cracked concrete facade structure © Bennian, licensed under Shutterstock.
We, the undersigned human rights organisations, urge the United Nations (UN) and specific, constituent parts dealing with adherence to international human rights standards; the European Union and the government of the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland to call on Bahrain to rescind its 27 April 2026 decision to revoke, arbitrarily, the nationality of at least 69 Bahraini citizens, and to expressly undertake to end the policy and practice of arbitrary revocation of citizenship.
On 27 April 2026, the Bahraini Ministry of Interior announced on X the decision to revoke the nationality of 69 individuals. The decision was later circulated through government-owned or licensed news platforms, some of which list the names of those impacted.
The government alleged that the 69 individuals, including dependent children, sympathised with Iranian attacks on Bahrain in the context of the 28 February - April 2026 armed conflict between the United States and Israel and Iran. Bahrain’s Ministry of Interior reported that those targeted are of “non-Bahraini origin.”
Reports further stated that the decision was based Law No. (21) of 2014 amending some provisions of the Bahraini Nationality Law of 1963 states, that “By decree, based on a proposal from the Minister of Interior and with the approval of the Cabinet, Bahraini citizenship may be revoked from anyone who possesses it in any of the following cases: [...] (3) If he causes harm to the interests of the Kingdom or acts in a manner contrary to his duty of loyalty to it.”
Article 1 of Royal Decree No. (13) of 2024 explicitly excludes matters related to citizenship revocation from the jurisdiction of the High Civil Court, effectively placing such decisions beyond judicial review. It frames nationality as a sovereign issue, above judicial scrutiny, contrary to international human rights law principles requiring effective remedies, protection against arbitrary deprivation of nationality, and independent oversight of state decisions affecting fundamental rights.
In November 2025, the UN Committee against Torture issued its Concluding Observations, following its review of Bahrain, and recommended that the government “Refrain from using revocation of citizenship as a form of reprisal against human rights defenders, journalists, political opponents and other critics of the Government.”
By disregarding the express recommendations of UN treaty bodies, Bahrain has undermined its adherence to the international rule of law and to established human rights standards.
The government’s renewed reliance on vague and undefined notions such as “betrayal [of the nation]”, “undermining security and stability;” “safeguarding national identity and values of national loyalty,” provides considerable leeway for arbitrary interpretation. In the absence of precise legal definitions, the current legal framework enables Bahraini authorities to weaponise citizenship revocation to target individuals on the basis of their opinions or peaceful activities.
We urge your offices and organisations - urgently - to call on Bahrain to:
- Rescind its arbitrary stripping of citizenship of the 69 persons named to date and restore their nationality and related rights and benefits;
- Expressly rule out further arbitrary revocations of citizenship;
- Refrain from expelling people arbitrarily stripped of their citizenship;
- Monitor the expulsion of any person deprived of Bahraini nationality with a view to ensuring their safety;
- Remind the authorities of the need for any decision relating to nationality to be subject to an independent judicial process, with full guarantees of the rights of defence and appeal; and
- To make good on UN treaty bodies’ longstanding recommendations to align its legislation with international standards, including the conventions on the prevention of statelessness.
Signatories
ALQST for Human Rights
Bahrain Center for Human Rights
Bahrain Forum for Human Rights
Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS)
CIVICUS
Gulf Institute for Democracy and Human Rights
Hawiati - MENA Statelessness Network
Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion (ISI)
MENA Rights Group
Nationality For All (NFA)
The Right to Be campaign
Rights Realization Centre
Salam for Democracy and Human Rights
Background
After weeks of inflammatory discourse directed overwhelmingly at Shi’a Bahrainis and the imposition of increasing restrictions on the rights to freedom of expression and association, on 20 April 2026, the Office of Bahrain’s Prime Minister reported that the Cabinet [of Ministers] would implement ruler Hamad bin ‘Isa al-Khalifa’s “comprehensive and decisive measures”, including “legal measures against those who have betrayed the nation or undermined its security and stability, alongside a review of cases relating to entitlement to Bahraini citizenship [...]” The Cabinet resolved to review the legal “frameworks related to nationality, examining cases in line with national standards to safeguard national identity, reinforce the values of national loyalty, and ensure that necessary measures are taken in full accordance with the law.”
Such broad, imprecise wording suggests that Bahrain may once again conduct a widespread, arbitrary citizenship stripping campaign, as it did between 2012-2019, when the government stripped Bahrainis of their citizenships on grounds related to the exercise of the right to freedom of expression or association, in the absence of fair trial guarantees or effective remedies. Bahrain violated fundamental human rights, the prohibition of creating statelessness as well as the right to a nationality.
We acknowledge the government’s action that restored Bahraini nationality to at least 551 of the 985 people whose citizenship was arbitrarily revoked in previous years. The threat of a return to such measures, without engagement by the elected Council of Representatives in the measures; taken outside the framework of legal safeguards, has caused considerable unease in swathes of Bahraini society, has undermined social cohesion and remains a source of concern for our organisations.
