Bahrain revoked the citizenship of 69 people over what it described as sympathy with Iran’s hostile acts and collaboration with foreign entities, the kingdom’s interior ministry said in a statement.

The ministry said that the 69 people included accused individuals and their family members, and that they were all of non-Bahraini origin.

“The Bahraini nationality has been revoked from those individuals for glorifying or sympathising with the hostile Iranian acts, or engaging in contacts with external parties,” the ministry said.

It said the revocations had been carried out in accordance with royal directives from King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and were based on Article 10/3 of the Bahraini Nationality Law.

The article provides for the revocation of citizenship in cases of “causing harm to the interests of the Kingdom or acting in a manner that contradicts the duty of loyalty to it”.

The interior ministry said the competent authorities were “continuing to study and review” who deserves Bahraini citizenship.

Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei, Advocacy Director at the Britain-based Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD), condemned the move, calling it “the beginning of a dangerous era of repression” and saying the decisions were “imposed without legal safeguards or any right of appeal”.

BIRD said it was the first such revocation of citizenship in Bahrain since 2019. Between 2012 and 2019, Bahrain revoked the citizenship of at least 990 nationals, the group said.

The rights group said it was unclear whether those affected had been arrested, whether they were inside or outside the country, or whether they held other nationalities.

Iran launched waves of missile and drones against Gulf states, including Bahrain, in response to US and Israeli strikes on the Islamic republic that began on February 28.

Bahrain’s Global Communication Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the case and on the Institute’s statement.