(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - Last month on 7 Nov 2012, the Ministry of Interior in Bahrain issued a statement revoking the nationality of 31 citizens without any prior notice and without judicial process, in contrary to customary international law. It announced then: “the affected persons have the right of appeal.” (see BCHR report bahrainrights.org/en/node/5505)
According to information received by the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, the citizens who tried to appeal the decision at the court were prevented from doing so. On 11 Dec 2012, Ebrahim Karimi, one of the 31 citizens stripped from nationality was prevented from finalizing the process to appoint a lawyer to raise the appeal against the citizenship provocation on his behalf. He was told that the information system rejects his application.
Another citizen who was stripped from nationality, lawyer Taimoor Karimi, was banned starting 14 Nov 2012 with an order from the minister of justice from pleading at the court and attending as a lawyer on behalf of clients.
By not being able to appoint a lawyer the 31 are not able to appeal against the decision to revoke their Bahraini nationality. (List of 31 citizens who had their citizenship revoked)
The BCHR calls on the United States, the United Kingdom, the United Nations and all other close allies to Bahrain and international institutions to put pressure on Bahraini authorities to:
1. Reverse this provocative decision that is in direct contrast with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states: "no one shall be arbitrarily deprived of [their] nationality."2. Immediately stop the systematic and widespread human rights violations against the citizens of Bahrain
/129