Manama, Bahrain – Bahrain’s High Criminal Court on Tuesday handed down harsh life sentences to five people, including Bahrainis and foreigners, after convicting them of spying for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
The verdict comes at a sensitive time, amid heightened security tensions in the region, following attacks launched by Tehran on several sites in the kingdom in recent weeks in retaliation for US and Israeli strikes.
Details of the case and the convicted
The head of the Terrorism Crimes Prosecution stated in an official statement that the court reviewed two separate cases related to espionage with hostile foreign entities. The list of defendants included six individuals: two Afghan nationals and four Bahraini citizens.
According to the Public Prosecution, the defendants were found to have been collaborating with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, which Manama classifies as a terrorist organization. The aim of the espionage was to plan and carry out terrorist and hostile acts intended to harm the strategic interests and national security of the Kingdom of Bahrain.
The verdict and legal procedures
The court sentenced five of the defendants to life imprisonment, while acquitting one defendant of the charges against him.
The court also ordered the confiscation of all items seized and used in espionage activities. Furthermore, it ruled that the Afghan defendants would be permanently deported from the Kingdom after serving their sentences.
Critical timing and regional context
The issuance of these sentences coincided with intensified Bahraini and international calls at the UN Security Council to pressure Iran to halt its military escalation and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Security officials in Manama view the dismantling of this cell as a preemptive strike against Iran’s attempts to exploit the ongoing regional conflict to activate sleeper cells. Iran is also seeking to recruit foreign operatives to carry out sabotage operations within Bahrain.
This firm ruling reflects the Kingdom’s commitment to tightening its security and legal grip against any attempts at security breaches linked to foreign entities. This is especially significant given the “proxy war” the region has been experiencing since last February. It also underscores that the Bahraini judiciary deals with espionage cases that threaten the sovereignty and stability of the state with the utmost severity.
