Bahrain arrests 41 over alleged links to Iran’s IRGC

Bahrain’s Interior Ministry said Saturday it arrested 41 people described as the “core” of an IRGC-linked network operating inside the country.jpost
The arrests add to more than 200 detentions since the Feb. 28 outbreak of war, most targeting Shia citizens, according to rights groups.al-monitor
Bahrain revoked the citizenship of 69 people last month over alleged Iran sympathies; the government denies targeting citizens by religion.middleeasteye

Bahrain Arrests 41 Over Alleged Links to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps

Bahrain’s Interior Ministry announced on Saturday the arrest of 41 individuals it described as members of a network linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, escalating a security crackdown that human rights groups say has disproportionately targeted the country’s Shia Muslim population since the outbreak of war in the region.

The Arrests

The 41 detainees were identified as the “core” of an IRGC-affiliated organization operating inside Bahrain, according to a statement carried by the state news agency. They face accusations of “espionage with foreign entities and sympathy with blatant Iranian aggression,” the Interior Ministry said. The ministry added that investigations are ongoing and that “necessary measures” would be taken against anyone found to be involved in the group’s activities.jpost

The arrests follow a broader pattern of detentions since the United States and Israel launched a joint military offensive against Iran on February 28, which triggered Iranian counterstrikes on Gulf states hosting American military installations, including Bahrain. Since then, Bahraini authorities have arrested more than 200 people, most of them Shia, according to the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD) and the Al Amal Center for Human Rights and Justice.usnews

Regional Fallout and Prior Crackdowns

Bahrain, a small island kingdom with a Shia-majority population governed by a Sunni monarchy, has been among the Gulf states hardest hit by the conflict with Iran, suffering strikes on civilian and energy infrastructure. The kingdom has also faced economic disruption from the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.jpost

Saturday’s announcement comes less than two weeks after Bahrain revoked the citizenship of 69 individuals accused of “glorifying or sympathizing” with Iranian attacks, a move that also affected their family members. King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa issued a directive stating the 69 were all “of non-Bahraini origin,” a designation typically applied to naturalized citizens. BIRD called it the first mass citizenship revocation in over seven years.aljazeera

Human Rights Concerns

Rights organizations have sharply criticized the crackdown. Human Rights Watch said in March that Bahraini authorities had arrested dozens of people “for exercising their right to peaceful expression” and were seeking the death penalty in some cases. The government banned protests in early March, citing “blatant Iranian aggression against the Kingdom of Bahrain”. Bahrain’s National Communication Centre has rejected claims that the measures target citizens based on religious identity, calling such suggestions “categorically false and inflammatory” and insisting charges are based on “specific, evidenced conduct”.bssnews