BAHRAIN’S reactionary regime was accused of corruption today after 138 citizens had their citizenship revoked.

The mass trial over terrorism-related charges led to many defendants sentenced to life imprisonment.

The Gulf state’s fourth high criminal court handed out jail terms to 139 Bahraini nationals while acquitting 30 in the single largest case since the use of mass trials started in 2012.

The Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD) condemned the judiciary for a “deeply unfair trial” and demanded the authorities overturn the sentences and restore the citizenships.

The withdrawal of nationality has become a growing tool of repression used by the state to target critical voices, particularly those who speak out about human rights abuses in the country.

It was officially adopted in July 2014 with amendments to Bahrain’s 1963 citizenship law allowing the government to withdraw nationality from those charged with terrorism offences.

It has led to an increase in citizenship revocations rising from 21 in 2014 to 208 in 2015 the year after the law was introduced.

Last year saw 308 Bahrainis stripped of their nationality by an increasingly authoritarian regime, including 115 who were convicted in a mass trial.

Despite its “dismal” human rights record and claims that “torture is a regular part of the legal process in Bahrain,” the regime continues to receive support from countries including Britain.

An agreement was developed in 2018 at the request of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office for Durham Constabulary to train their Bahraini counterparts “to support wider British aims in the region.”

The training is aimed at “improving the quality of policing within Bahrain” focusing on the use of forensic evidence “to ensure that offenders are prosecuted and brought to justice.”

A statement by Durham police claimed that “consideration has been given to the extent to which the agreement supports the promotion of human rights within Bahrain.”

A similar deal was made with the University of Huddersfield who opened a masters degree course in security science last year with 10 lecturers flying out to the Gulf state to train Bahraini security services.

Today’s trial was condemned for a lack of evidence and allegations that “confessions” were extracted under torture.

BIRD spokesman Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei said: “This ruling proves yet another time the corruption in Bahrain’s judiciary. 

“A mass trial cannot produce a just result and rendering people stateless in a mass trial is a clear violation of international law. This is the worst verdict on record since 2012.”