On 26 June 2016, the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, the Bahraini authorities deported human rights lawyer Taimoor Karimi, a torture survivor whose citizenship was revoked in 2012. The Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR) strongly condemns the Bahraini authorities’ actions against human rights defenders including Karimi.
Karimi was previously arrested in 2011, after which he alleged being subjected to torture while in detention. As a human rights lawyer, he defended political detainees, before his license to practice law was revoked, due to being stateless.
In November 2012, the Bahraini authorities issued an administrative decision revoking the citizenship of Karimi and 30 other individuals, citing Article 10 of the Citizenship Law which allows withdrawal of citizenship from people who have allegedly “caused damage to state security.” Many of those thus denaturalized were members of civil society, including human rights defenders, journalists, political exiles, and religious and opposition figures. On 28 October 2014, the court ordered the deportation of ten denaturalized Bahrainis including Karimi. On 23 May 2016, the court of appeal upheld the decision to deport Karimi. Then on 26 June 2016, the decision was put into action. Karimi was informed that he will be deported by the General Directorate of Nationality, Passports and Residence Affairs, and shortly after, he was only given the choice to leave to Iraq.
The government of Bahrain has escalated its crackdown on free voices and dissent. Revocation of citizenship and forced deportation are the authorities’ new intimidation and reprisal instrument against any opposition. Since 2012, the Bahraini authorities have revoked the nationality of 300 people and forcibly deported six denaturalized individuals following court orders to deport them. At least eight other individuals are at imminent risk of deportation. On 20 June 2016, the Ministry of Interior revoked the citizenship of Shia spiritual leader Sheikh Isa Qasim, and has reportedly threatened him with deportation.
BCHR therefore calls on the government of Bahrain to immediately:
- Allow Taimoor Karimi and others to return to Bahrain;
- Reinstate the nationality of all those whose citizenship was arbitrarily revoked on politically-motivated grounds since 2011;
- Cease deportation orders that are based on politically-motivated charges; and
- Accede to the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons and to the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness.