Bahrain - May 2026

On 7 May, Parliament expelled three lawmakers after they voted against a 2024 royal decree law during its parliamentary review. The decree had removed judicial oversight over citizenship decisions and made such matters subject to executive authority without the possibility of legal appeal. The lawmakers argued that the measure weakened due process and reduced safeguards against arbitrary citizenship revocations. The government defended the expulsion on national security grounds, accusing the MPs of opposing citizenship revocation measures taken against individuals alleged to have supported or sympathized with Iran. While the expulsions were framed as a disciplinary response, rights groups and observers criticized them as a sign of declining freedom of expression, parliamentary independence, and checks on executive power.

Sources: Middle East Eye, Bahrain News Agency, Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy, New Lines Magazine