Iran rejects Bahrain espionage, interference allegations

Iran has categorically rejected as "unfounded" espionage and meddling allegations by the Bahraini regime against the Islamic Republic.

An appeals court in Bahrain on Sunday upheld the life sentences as well as the citizenship revocation of five Shia activists over allegations that they had been “spying for Iran” and planning attacks in the country.

A statement by the prosecution said that the court rejected the appeal by the five defendants and stripped them of their citizenship.

In November last year, a Bahraini court handed down life imprisonment sentence to the men after convicting them of “spying for Iran” and seeking to carry out hostile acts against Bahrain.

“Since the outset of popular protests in Bahrain, the country’s government has been seeking to divert the public opinion from this country’s internal crisis through leveling fabricated and delusive accusations against some countries,” a source at Iran’s Foreign Ministry said on Monday.

The source added that such claims by the Bahraini regime are aimed at projection and evasion of accountability on the charges of human rights violations.

The adoption of security and prejudiced approaches by the Bahraini government not only will fail to settle the country’s problems but will exacerbate the ongoing woes, the source said.

The Bahraini monarchy, which is facing a massive popular uprising, has heavily relied on courts to level accusations of spying for Iran against protesters as part of a crackdown on political dissent.

Hundreds of people, including notable opposition leaders, are behind bars for their involvement in popular protests against the ruling Aal-e Khalifah regime.

SS