Bahrain took an extraordinary step during its conflict with Iran, revoking the citizenship of 69 residents and expelling them on accusations of betraying the country. The move, reported by Bahraini state media and later covered by The New York Times, left some of those removed with no nationality at all.
According to the report, the expelled people were descendants of families of Persian origin who settled in Bahrain generations ago. The kingdom, ruled by a Sunni royal family but home to a Shia majority, has long accused Iran of meddling in its internal affairs and stirring unrest among Bahrain’s Shia population, which says it faces discrimination.
Bahrain suffered hundreds of Iranian missiles and drones during the war, and dozens of its citizens were wounded. It is a U.S. ally and hosts a major American base. At the start of last month, Bahrain’s king declared, “Those who betray the homeland are unworthy of the honor of belonging to it or the right to live on its soil,” and the state then moved beyond rhetoric.
In late April, Bahrain said it had expelled people of “non-Bahraini origin” because of their “sympathy for hostile acts by Iran.” The Times reported that some of those removed had posted online material showing the attacks, and that authorities summoned a man from each targeted family, confiscated their documents, and forced them to buy flights to Iran without any right of appeal or time to prepare. Some expelled people and relatives told the newspaper they did not know why they were included and said they became stateless because they held no other citizenship.
