Bahrain Threatens Up to Five-Year Prison Sentence for Public Support of Qatar

Bahrain became the latest Arab state to ban its people from expressing support of Qatar, warning in a statement Thursday that anyone doing so could be jailed for up to five years and be fined.

Bahrain, along with Egypt, Saudia Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) cut diplomatic ties with Qatar on Monday over its alleged support for terrorist groups and Iran – charges Qatar denies.

Bahrain blamed Qatar’s “media incitement, support for armed terrorist activities and funding linked to Iranian groups to carry out sabotage and spreading chaos in Bahrain” for its decision to cut ties.

But Bahrain went one step further Thursday, warning its population not to express pro-Qatar sympathies. In a statement by its Interior Ministry, the government warns:

[A]ny show of sympathy or favouritism for the Qatar government or objection to Bahrain’s action on the social media in the form of tweets, posts or any spoken or written word will be considered a crime punishable under the Penal Code and will lead to a jail term of up to five years and fine.

The ministry claims that the action is being taken to “maintain the security and civil peace” and to protect the nation’s national interest.

The statement follows a similar move by the UAE this week, which warned that anyone expressing sympathy for Qatar could be jailed for up to 15 years.

Trump on Tuesday hailed the decision by the states to cut ties with Qatar as a sign his trip to Saudi Arabia paid off.

“Perhaps this will be the beginning of the end to the horror of terrorism!” he said on Twitter.

Adam Shaw is a politics reporter for Breitbart News based in New York. Follow Adam on Twitter: @AdamShawNY.