Bahrain Mirror: Amnesty International condemned Bahrain's expelling of number of citizens, calling to halt all planned expulsions and allow those it has already expelled to return to the country.

Amnesty said in a statement on Wednesday (January 31, 2018) that the Bahraini government expelling of four of its citizens whose nationality was revoked in 2012, represents "another display of the kingdom's steady and sustained disregard of its own citizens and for human rights and international law more broadly".

Brothers Ismail and Ibrahim Darwish were expelled to Iraq, followed by Adnan Kamal and Habib Darwish. Four other people, Mohammed Ali, Abdul Amir, Abdulnabi Al-Mosawi and his wife Maryam Redha, who also had their nationality revoked that same year, were told they would be forcibly deported to Iraq on 1 February 2018.

"Turning citizens into stateless people and banishing them by forcing them to leave the country is a violation of international law," said Lynn Maalouf, Middle East research director

She indicated that "The Bahraini government is using revocation of nationality as "tool to crush all forms of opposition" dissent and activism," wondering about the silence of "key allies such as the United Kingdom that could use their leverage to publicly condemn these actions."

Maalouf called on the Bahraini authorities to immediately halt all planned expulsions, allow those it has already expelled to return to the country and reinstate their nationality.

Arabic Version