BPA expresses concerned over the arrest of 41 Shiite clerics: The state is moving from prosecuting legally criminal acts to criminalizing beliefs and ideas

Bahrain Press Association, London – UK | May 9,2026: The Bahraini Press Association (BPA) expresses its deep concern over the wide-scale arrests carried out today, Saturday, 9 May 2026, targeting approximately 41 Shiite clerics following accusations by the Ministry of Interior alleging links to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps and adherence to the ideology of “Wilayat al-Faqih” (Guardianship of the Jurist).

While acknowledging the seriousness of any allegations related to national security or ties to foreign entities, the BPA stresses that the handling of such cases must remain firmly governed by the rule of law, guarantees of due process, fair trial standards, and full transparency in the presentation of evidence, free from political instrumentalization.

Of particular concern is the expanding use of ideological, sectarian, and religious affiliations within the framework of security approaches, in ways that risk conflating religious belief and jurisprudential reference with criminal acts punishable under law.

The use of adherence to the concept of “Wilayat al-Faqih” as a basis for criminalization or for targeting a broad religious segment of society represents an extremely dangerous precedent. It shifts the role of the state from prosecuting clearly defined criminal conduct to policing beliefs, ideas, and sectarian affiliations themselves. Such an approach risks transforming intellectual and religious matters into open-ended security cases and contributes to a political and social climate in which the boundaries between protecting national security and respecting religious and intellectual pluralism become increasingly eroded.

Accordingly, the BPA warns that any security approach framed along sectarian lines will deepen social divisions, undermine public confidence in state institutions, and generate a more volatile political environment, particularly amid the highly sensitive regional circumstances currently facing the region.

The BPA calls on the security authorities to fully adhere to constitutional provisions and international human rights standards, ensure transparency in judicial proceedings, and refrain from any official or media discourse that could contribute to collective stigmatization or sectarian incitement. 

The Association further emphasizes that safeguarding national security must not come at the expense of protecting fundamental rights and freedoms.