A Bahraini court has handed down 10-year jail sentences to 12 people in separate cases for expressing support for Iran’s retaliatory attacks against American bases in Persian Gulf Arab countries.
On Monday, Bahrain's High Criminal Court said in a statement, carried by the state news agency BNA, the individuals "committed crimes of supporting, encouraging, and endorsing” the Iranian attacks on the tiny Persian Gulf kingdom, “obtaining and broadcasting prohibited vital data, photographing prohibited locations, as well as broadcasting false news and rumors via social media.”
The country’s judicial authorities claim those actions were part of an attempt to "disturb public security and create an atmosphere of fear and concern."
Observers, however, say Bahrain has exploited tensions in the region to suppress dissent by leveling fabricated charges against critics, mostly in the Shia community.
As part of a broader crackdown, Bahrain also revoked the citizenship of 69 people in April, alleging that they had “supported hostile Iranian acts.”
The Persian Gulf states launched a coordinated anti-Iran propaganda campaign and intensified internal repression amid a sharp escalation in regional tensions following the US-Israeli military aggression against Iran.
The two enemies initiated their unprovoked war on February 28, using the territories of the Persian Gulf states -- Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, and Jordan -- to launch airstrikes against Iran.
In several instances, the Arab states of the Persian Gulf directly participated in unlawful attacks on Iranian territory.
In response to the aggression, the Iranian armed forces retaliated with waves of missile and drone strikes targeting the Israeli-occupied territories and US bases in those countries.
Tehran has warned Persian Gulf Arab states that harassing Iranian nationals and promoting anti-Iran narratives will not absolve them from their direct responsibility for military strikes against Iran.
In March, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced that it had arrested at least five members of a network allegedly linked to Iran and the Lebanese resistance group Hezbollah.
Iranian officials have also documented cases of harassment against Iranian nationals in the UAE, including reports of property seizures.
Press TV’s website
