Bahrain revokes citizenship of 31 Shi'ites

Bahraini authorities have revoked the citizenships of 31 Shiite activists, among them two former members of parliament, for having "undermined state security," state news agency BNA reported Wednesday.
The names of the 31 activists, including brothers Jawad and Jalal Fairuz, both ex-MPs who represented the major Shiite Al-Wefaq bloc, were listed in the report, which quoted an interior ministry statement.
Also named was Ali Mashaima, son of prominent activist Hassan Mashaima who is head of the radical Shiite opposition movement Haq and who is serving a life sentence for allegedly plotting against the monarchy.
The government move comes after Bahrain late last month banned all protests and gatherings to ensure "security is maintained," after clashes between Shiite-led demonstrators and security forces. Bahrain
has experienced unrest since March last year when the authorities crushed protests led by the Shiite Muslim majority. According to the International Federation for Human Rights, 80 people have died in Bahrain since the violence erupted on February 14 last year. Hundreds of people were arrested when the security forces, aided by troops from neighbouring Saudi Arabia, crushed the uprising, while many activists, including some whose names appear on Wednesday's list, were tried in special military courts set up at the time.
Another former MP and leading Al-Wefaq member, Matar Matar, told AFP that "many named (on the list) were acquitted by a military court" after being charged with harming state security. Others named on the list are currently living abroad, according to opposition sources.
The complete list of names was published  by the Bahraini ministry of the Interior (here).