Bahrain’s High Criminal Court on Tuesday sentenced 24 defendants in separate cases tied to espionage for Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), support for Iranian attacks against the Kingdom, and acts of violence and sabotage linked to those attacks.
The rulings included life sentences for three defendants, prison terms of up to 10 years for others, financial penalties, confiscation of seized materials, and the permanent deportation of three convicts after serving their sentences.
According to the head of the Terror Crimes Prosecution, the first case involved a woman convicted of spying for the IRGC through a social media account used to publish photographs and coordinates of strategic sites and key facilities inside Bahrain, along with content deemed harmful to the country’s military, political, and economic interests. The court sentenced her to life imprisonment.
He added that the defendant admitted using her account to assist hostile entities by sharing images and coordinates of sensitive locations, accompanied by comments suggesting they could be targeted. She also posted videos and images of previously attacked sites with the intent of glorifying and promoting those attacks.
In a second case, investigations by the General Directorate of Criminal Investigation and Forensic Science uncovered an Iranian intelligence and IRGC-backed network tasked with monitoring critical infrastructure in Bahrain in preparation for terrorist attacks aimed at undermining national security and stability.
The Bahraini official said the first defendant, who fled to Iran, recruited a second defendant inside Bahrain to carry out terrorist operations, transfer funds to extremist elements, and collect intelligence on strategic facilities for transmission to the IRGC and Iranian intelligence agencies. Both men were sentenced to life in prison and fined 10,000 Bahraini dinars each — about $26,500 — in addition to the confiscation of seized items.
The court also issued rulings in nine additional cases involving praise for the Iranian attacks, dissemination of prohibited sensitive information, and photographing restricted sites. Ten defendants received prison terms of up to 10 years, while some were fined 2,000 dinars and ordered deported after completing their sentences.
In four separate cases linked to unrest during the Iranian attacks in March, 11 defendants were sentenced to prison terms of up to five years for violence and sabotage. Some were also fined 500 dinars.
Bahrain’s Public Prosecution said offenses involving espionage for foreign entities, justification of terrorism, dissemination of prohibited information, and acts of sabotage constitute crimes against state security and civil peace, warning that strict legal action would continue against anyone involved in such activities.