Bahrain Mirror: The local Bahraini Al-Wasat newspaper stated that the number of Bahrainis stripped for their nationalities since the eruption of the 2011 protests to date has reached 210, following the latest court verdict, revoking the citizenships of 13 Bahrainis on November 23, 2015, including photographer Sayed Ahmad Al-Mousawi.

"It all began in November 6, 2012, specifically when the Interior Minister issued a decision, stripping the nationalities of 31 citizens. The competent authorities then withdrew the passports and identity cards of some of these persons who were in Bahrain and they were summoned to correct their residency status in the country and find sponsors," explained Al-Wasat.

The paper further highlighted that the citizenships of prominent figures were revoked. "including two former MPs Jawad and Jalal Fairuz, in addition to a number of clerics that included Khalid Hameed Mansour Sanad (Sheikh Mohammad Sanad), Alawie Said Sharaf (Sayed Alawie Al-Biladi), and Hussein Mirza Abdulbaqi (Sheikh Hussein Al-Najati) whose nationality, his and his family's, was stripped in September 2010, before the King issued a royal decree in November 2010 granting him and his family members their Bahraini nationalities."

According to Al-Wasat, constitution amendments came into effect at the end of 2012, and gave "the green light to the Interior Ministry, allowing it to revoke the citizenship of anyone who poses a threat to the kingdom's security or harms its interests, in addition to amendments to the Terrorism Act by giving courts the authority to revoke the nationality of citizens convicted under that law."

On August 6, 2014, "the first court verdict was issued stripping the nationalities of nine Bahrainis over a case of having communications with Iran's Revolutionary Guard, forming a terrorist organization and smuggling weapons into Bahrain." There were also other verdicts issued by courts later on as well.

It is noteworthy-according to the paper- that "2014 and 2015 continued to witness sentences and orders to revoke nationalities, as on January 31, 2015, a special decree was issued stripping the citizenships of 72 people, for harming the interests of Bahrain, the majority of whom were outside Bahrain (50 people), including names of individuals affiliated to ISIS."

"After less than 3 months, the Fourth High Criminal Court issued a verdict on April 23, 2015, stripping the nationalities of 3 defendants from Al-Sanabes area: Hani Ahmad Marhoun and his nephews Ebrahim and Ahmad Naim Marhoun, who were convicted of joining a terrorist group, and sentenced to 15 years in prison," Al-Wasat further stated.

"On April 29, 2015, the Fourth High Criminal Court also ordered stripping 12 defendants of their citizenships after convicting them of murdering a policeman in Al-Ekr area; as the court sentenced the first suspect to death, seven others to life imprisonment, and four others to 10 years in prison," it added.

Al-Wasat also stated that on January 27, 2015, the Appeals Court abolished "the verdict that ordered stripping the nine appellants of their nationalities in the case of forming a terrorist group and smuggling weapons into Bahrain, justifying its decision by claiming that the law doesn't apply in their case since it was issued on July 31, 2013."

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