BFHR: Bahraini Authorities Initiate Preliminary Procedures for the Arbitrary Deportation of Denaturalized Citizens, and Mothers Are Threatened with Revocation of Their Citizenship if They Refuse to Travel

The Bahrain Forum for Human Rights (BFHR) (a member of the Global Alliance to End Statelessness) stated that Bahraini authorities summoned individuals whose citizenship had been revoked on Saturday morning and informed them that initial procedures for their arbitrary deportation had commenced. These measures target 69 Bahraini citizens who were arbitrarily stripped of their nationality. BFHR indicated that the first group is scheduled for deportation on Sunday, to be followed by additional groups on May 7 and May 11, 2026. The deportations are to take place via transit through Istanbul, onward to Imam Khomeini International Airport in Tehran, with those affected compelled to bear the cost of their travel.
BFHR reported that what occurred this morning with some of those summoned amounted to coercion and forced expulsion. Some individuals were handcuffed upon refusing to comply and were threatened with arbitrary detention if they declined to pay for the tickets or refused to travel. Others were warned that if they did not take their children—whose citizenship had also been revoked—the citizenship of the mothers would likewise be withdrawn.
BFHR further noted that the group of 69 includes family members affected by association, including 26 children and a number of women. A review of the published list of names clearly indicates that the measure does not target individuals in isolation, but rather entire families, including:
•    Minors, some under one year of age, including a 23-day-old infant and a 3-month-old baby girl. 
•    Elderly individuals, including one person aged 70 years. 
•    One individual diagnosed with cancer. 
BFHR emphasized that these facts point to a pattern of systematic collective punishment, in violation of principles of justice and fairness.
The Bahrain Forum for Human Rights affirms that:
•    The large-scale deprivation of nationality constitutes a serious violation of the right to nationality. 
•    The anticipated forced deportations amount to arbitrary expulsion prohibited under international law. 
•    The targeting of entire families, including children, constitutes a grave violation of fundamental human rights. 
BFHR stressed that these measures are in direct contravention of several international legal instruments, including:
•    Article 9 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states: “No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.” 
•    Article 13 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which prohibits arbitrary expulsion and guarantees the right of individuals to have their case reviewed by a competent authority. 
•    The Convention on the Rights of the Child, which obliges states to protect children from measures that undermine their best interests, including displacement and family separation. 
BFHR also rejected official justifications used to legitimize these measures, stressing that fundamental rights must not be subject to political or security considerations.
Accordingly, BFHR calls for:
1.    The immediate halt of all forced deportation procedures against the 69 individuals. 
2.    The full reversal of the citizenship revocation decisions and the restoration of the legal rights of those affected. 
3.    An end to the policy of citizenship revocation as a tool of political reprisal. 
4.    Urgent intervention by the United Nations and its relevant mechanisms. 
The Bahrain Forum for Human Rights holds the Bahraini authorities fully responsible for any humanitarian consequences that may befall the victims. These actions constitute a serious violation of human dignity and the right to belong to one’s country.

Bahrain Forum for Human Rights
02/05/2026