Bahrain strips 69 people of citizenship

Bahrain revoked citizenship rights of 60 people for praising Irans hostile and criminal acts. For ships stuck in Gulf, crew changes are difficult ------------------------------------------------------ Fleet Management Limited usually communicates multiple times a day with dozens of stranded ships that are staffed by more than 400 seafarers, its CEO Capt Rajalingam Subramaniam said.

Bahrain revoked citizenship rights of 60 people for praising Iran's ''hostile and criminal acts''. Bahrain's interior ministry said the move also applied to the families of individuals accused. The ministry said it revoked citizenship rights ''of those who expressed sympathy and praise for Iran's hostile and criminal acts''. Bahrain is among several countries in the region that tightly controlled information about Iranian strikes during the war, arresting residents and foreigners who filmed them. The Sunni-ruled monarchy, like Iran, has a majority Shiite population and saw pro-Iran demonstrations early in the conflict. Authorities arrested protesters and those who filmed demonstrations en masse, charging dozens with misusing social media, inciting hatred or treason, an offence that can carry the death penalty. The country is also one of several in the Gulf with laws allowing courts to strip citizenship from people convicted of certain crimes, potentially rendering them stateless. Such measures in Bahrain, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar have drawn criticism from rights groups, which say the laws are tools of repression, used to squash and punish dissent. For ships stuck in Gulf, crew changes are difficult ------------------------------------------------------ Fleet Management Limited usually communicates multiple times a day with dozens of stranded ships that are staffed by more than 400 seafarers, its CEO Capt Rajalingam Subramaniam said. Stock checks are regularly maintained for food supply, and pickups have been arranged to ensure availability by moving vessels to the nearest points where they can pick up fresh and dry provisions, he said. Some crew changes were still happening, but in limited numbers. ''Who wants to go on the ship?'' Subramaniam said. ''The inbound crew has the right to refuse and we respect (that).'' Most of the stranded mariners have been in the Gulf since the war began. ''(For) mariners who did not sign up to be in warlike area, they also (need) to be respected so that they do not become the unintended collateral,'' he said.