- London / Beirut
- 7 May 2026
The House of Representatives must rescind the arbitrary revocation of membership of Bahrain’s elected Council (or House) of Representatives, imposed on 7 May 2026, on three members of Bahrain’s only national, elected assembly.
The three elected members of the 40-person House of Representatives are Abdulnabi Salman, Mamdooh al-Saleh and Mahdi al-Shuwaik; Abdulnabi Salman was the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives. All three are Shi’a and represent overwhelmingly Shi’a districts of Bahrain.
The revocation of their status as parliamentarians effectively deprives Bahrainis of the right to take part in public affairs, directly or through freely chosen representatives; to vote and be elected in genuine periodic elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage, held by secret ballot, guaranteeing the free expression of the will of the electors, as set out in Article 25 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Bahrain is a state party.
Article 28 of Decree Law No. 15/2002 regarding the [unelected] Shura and Representatives Councils provides for the revocation of membership where the member “loses trust and respect or violates the duties of membership” (online translation) on the basis of an assembly vote in which two-thirds of the members vote to revoke membership. This opaque basis for removal enables human rights violations in relation to the exercise of peaceful expression. All other 37 members of the assembly voted to revoke the status of these three parliamentarians in an extraordinary sitting of the council.
The government-led decision was retaliation for the refusal of these three members of the House of Representatives to vote in favour of a royal decree, granting the executive authority the power to revoke Bahraini citizenship and classify nationality matters as “sovereign acts” beyond judicial oversight. In previous years, elected members have voted against royal decrees without repercussion or reprisal.
During the 28 April 2026 parliamentary session discussing the decree, Deputy Speaker Abdulnabi Salman stressed the necessity of judicial safeguards and legal remedies in citizenship revocation cases, warning of the implications for the right to litigation and the rule of law. Mamdouh al-Saleh likewise emphasised the importance of avoiding collective punishment impacting children and other family members when revoking citizenship. He described citizenship revocation as a form of “civil death” that strips individuals of their fundamental rights.
In a speech to the media following the session, the King denounced those “who the people had elected to represent them standing alongside traitors”. He made a veiled threat to impose martial law in case of further dissent. Government-led public pressure effectively forced the three parliamentarians to issue an undignified public apology that reflected government repression of freedom of peaceful expression and, in contravention of Article 25 of the ICCPR, direct interference with the right of Bahraini to take part in public affairs by way of the legislative authority.
Sayed Yusuf Almuhafdha, Human Rights Advisor to Salam for Democracy and Human Rights, called on the “Bahrain House of Representatives “to rescind immediately the arbitrary revocation of membership to the House of Representatives imposed on the three elected officials, in order to better fulfill Bahrain’s obligations under Article 25 of the ICCPR”.
He added that:
“All Bahrainis need and deserve an equal voice in a fairly elected assembly. Such human rights standards emerged since they build inclusion and security; by disregarding the right to partake in public affairs, the government sows insecurity and fear. Punishing MPs for their parliamentary positions entrenches a climate of fear and further erodes the already shrinking democratic space in Bahrain. It also sets a dangerous precedent that threatens the independence of the legislative institution and transforms it into a body subordinated to executive authority. We call on the King to abide by human rights obligations in order to enforce the rule of law and build security, not destroy it.”
Background
On 19 April 2026, the King of Bahrain issued directives to conduct a comprehensive review of Bahraini citizenship policies. He then issued a decree amending the Judicial Authority Law to exclude nationality-related cases from the jurisdiction of the courts. The decree grants broad discretionary powers to the executive branch in matters affecting a fundamental human right, without effective judicial safeguards or independent avenues for appeal.
In a separate statement, SALAM DHR called on the GoB to align citizenship laws with international standards and to end the practice of arbitrary revocation of citizenship.
