By Mark Tanos
Bahrain handed down life sentences to five people Tuesday on charges of espionage on behalf of Iran just one day after the kingdom stripped citizenship from 69 others it accused of backing Tehran’s attacks, officials and state media said.
The country’s High Criminal Court convicted two Afghan nationals and three Bahrainis of surveilling and photographing key installations on Iran’s behalf, Gulf News reported, citing the public prosecution. The court acquitted a sixth defendant, also Bahraini. Prosecutors said they are weighing an appeal of that ruling. The state media outlet Bahrain News Agency (BNA) also reported the ruling.
In a separate case, the public prosecution said 25 additional defendants received 10-year prison terms for supporting Iran’s “terrorist acts” against the kingdom, according to Fox News Digital. (RELATED: Where Things Stand With The Unstable Iran Ceasefire)
Monday’s citizenship action targeted those accused of praising Iranian military aggression or working with foreign power to conduct espionage, The National reported, citing the BNA. Authorities said the decision was made under Bahrain’s nationality law, which permits the government to strip citizenship from anyone deemed to have acted against state interests. Officials identified all 69 individuals as not being of Bahraini origin. Their names were revealed through state media.
Life imprisonment in two espionage cases for collaborating with terrorist Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corpshttps://t.co/LgJ7WYAaiy
— Bahrain News Agency (@bna_en) April 28, 2026
Bahrain’s Defense Forces said the kingdom, home to the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet, intercepted 194 missiles and 523 drones before a ceasefire took effect April 8, The National reported. Authorities had already charged 14 other suspects with Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) espionage last month and accused three people of channeling charitable funds to Hezbollah.
The Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy, based in London, called the mass revocation the first since 2019 and warned it violated international law, according to Al Jazeera. The group said it remained unclear whether those affected were in custody or held any other nationality. Iran began pulling back its attacks on Gulf States in the days after a Pakistan-brokered ceasefire announced April 7, though negotiations stalled.
Bahraini authorities have detained dozens of people since the war began for activities allegedly including posting footage of Iranian strikes on social media, Human Rights Watch reported last month.
