Citizenship Rulings Set to Bypass Courts

TDT | Manama

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A decree-law classifying citizenship decisions in Bahrain as sovereign acts beyond judicial review is set to be presented to parliament today, according to official statements.

Decree-Law No. 13 of 2024 proposes amendments to Article 7 of the Judicial Authority Law, originally issued under Decree-Law No. 42 of 2002, to exclude nationality-related matters from the courts' jurisdiction. It also provides for repealing Article 11 bis of the Bahraini Nationality Law of 1963, along with any provisions conflicting with the new framework.

In an explanatory memorandum, the Legislation and Legal Opinion Commission said the decree-law was issued urgently to safeguard state security and higher national interests. It added that recent violations of nationality regulations highlighted a legal gap requiring swift action.

The commission described nationality as a core pillar of the state, closely tied to its population, and stressed the need to ensure citizenship is acquired lawfully and remains consistent with the country’s security and international standing.

It noted that the constitution leaves nationality matters to be regulated by law and pointed out that other Gulf states adopt similar approaches, treating such decisions as sovereign acts. The Interior Ministry expressed full support for the decree-law.