Bahrain sentences10-year prison to 12 convicted of backing Iran
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The High Criminal Court in Bahrain sentenced 12 individuals to 10 years in prison on Monday across 11 separate cases, convicting them of promoting and endorsing aggressive Iranian actions against the Kingdom, documenting restricted locations, and systematically spreading disinformation on social media platforms.
The Chief of the Terrorist Crimes Prosecution announced the verdicts following an extensive digital crackdown coordinated alongside the Anti-Cyber Crimes Directorate. In addition to the long-term prison sentences, several of the defendants were ordered to pay fines of 2,000 Bahraini Dinars ($5,300 USD), and all electronic equipment seized during the raids was officially confiscated by court order.
According to prosecutors, the cyber-crimes unit intercepted a network of accounts deliberately leaking restricted tactical data, capturing unauthorized footage of vital installations, and promoting hostile narratives during what authorities described as aggressive, malicious Iranian operations directed against the Kingdom of Bahrain.
The state prosecution detailed that the localized disinformation campaigns were explicitly designed to break domestic public morale, incite widespread panic among the population, and fundamentally compromise general public safety at a highly sensitive time.
"The investigations swiftly identified the operators behind these accounts," the Terrorist Crimes Prosecution statement read. "Our technical experts thoroughly analyzed the confiscated digital devices, which conclusively proved the defendants’ direct involvement in documenting prohibited zones and circulating fabricated rumors."
The Judiciary emphasized that all 11 trials were conducted in strict accordance with national legal protocols, guaranteeing full legal counsel and allowing the defense teams to present arguments over several public sessions before the final sentences were handed down.
The ruling signals Manama's strict, zero-tolerance policy toward domestic digital operations acting in alignment with foreign state aggression.
