Bahrain sentences three to life for spying for Iran
Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
At a glance
- Three Bahraini nationals received life sentences for spying for Iran's Revolutionary Guard and aiding hostile actions against Bahrain.
- The court found them guilty of providing sensitive information, including videos of Iranian missile attacks and locations of vital sites within Bahrain.
- The convictions are part of a series of trials in Bahrain and neighboring countries against individuals accused of spying for or sympathizing with Iran.
A Bahraini court has sentenced three citizens to life imprisonment after convicting them of spying for Iran's Revolutionary Guard. The court deemed them guilty of collaborating with the Iranian military unit to carry out hostile acts against the Gulf kingdom.
The court convicted them of spying for the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and collaborating with that 'terrorist group' to carry out 'hostile actions' against the small Arab kingdom of the Persian Gulf.
The Public Prosecution for Terrorism Crimes stated that the convictions stemmed from two separate cases, with sentences delivered in a joint session of the Supreme Criminal Court in Manama. These verdicts are the latest in a string of trials targeting dozens of Bahraini nationals accused of spying for or showing sympathy towards Iran.
Prosecutors detailed that the accused were charged with espionage against the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and its collaborators. Their objective was to assist the Guard in its hostile and terrorist activities against Bahrain and to harm the kingdom's interests. The court imposed life sentences and ordered the confiscation of seized items. Among the accusations were the transmission of videos depicting Iranian missile attacks on Bahrain to an electronic account managed by the Revolutionary Guard, and the divulgence of coordinates for vital locations within Bahrain for potential enemy targeting.
The three defendants, one of whom was tried in absentia, were charged with 'spying on the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and its collaborators, with the aim of helping it in its hostile and terrorist acts against the Kingdom of Bahrain and harming its interests.'
Investigators concluded that the information provided by the convicted individuals was crucial to the Iranian attacks on several key installations in Bahrain, thereby jeopardizing the nation's security and stability. Bahrain and its neighbors, including Kuwait and Qatar, have recently detained and prosecuted numerous individuals for allegedly sharing videos of Iranian missile and drone strikes amid the broader conflict between the United States and Iran. Many of these defendants have faced prison sentences or had their nationality revoked.
The investigations concluded that the data and information provided by the convicted individuals... constituted a fundamental pillar in the hostile and atrocious Iranian terrorist attacks that targeted a series of vital and important installations within Bahrain, thus endangering the country's security and stability.
Originally published by ABC Color in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.