BAHRAIN jailed seven opposition political activists and stripped 11 of citizenship, including a leading female campaigner who was forcibly disappeared and accused of joining a terrorist cell, authorities announced yesterday.

The move was condemned by the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (Bird) who called for the citizenships to be restored. The total number of stateless individuals stands at 824.

Zakeya Albarboori was arrested with her niece Fatema in May 2018. Both women were forcibly disappeared and charged with joining a terrorist cell although Fatema was released the following month.

Ms Albarboori is also charged with receiving funds from Iran but her legal team did not receive notice of the allegations against her until January 31.

She was held in isolation for 28 days, which the United Nations said amounted to torture.

Bahrain is accused of the imprisonment, torture and execution of dissidents, political opposition figures and its Shia Muslim population.

Bird director of advocacy Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei, said: “Zakeya was subjected to enforced disappearance, harsh interrogations,  prolonged solitary confinement and has now been condemned with imprisonment and statelessness. 

“The revocation of citizenship presents a new and alarming indication that this punitive tool will now be applied to women as freely as it is applied to men.”