Bahrain's King Hamad bin Issa al-Khalifa canceled the death sentences of 551 people, days after the United Nations expressed concern over the revocation of citizenship in Bahrain.
The Bahraini news agency reported on Sunday that the King had ordered the establishment of the nationality of 551 sentenced sentenced to the abolition of nationality.
The agency added that the king ordered that work be carried out on "assessing the status of those convicted of dropping citizenship" and that the study and evaluation "on criteria related to the gravity of the crime and its impact and consequences, as well as the seriousness of each sentenced and the impact of that danger on national security."
She added that the king commissioned the Minister of Interior to "study the provisions of the revocation of nationality and the preparation and dissemination of lists of beneficiaries."
Last week, a court in Bahrain sentenced 138 people between three years and life and stripped them of their nationality. They were among 169 people tried on charges of "forming a terrorist group" and being linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guards.
Since 2011, the trials of dissidents have doubled and hundreds of dissidents have been imprisoned and stripped of their nationality. Human rights organizations estimate that the total number of people who have been revoked is 990, including 180 in 2019 (including convicts last week).
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on Thursday expressed deep concern about the decision to drop citizenship from the latter group, saying the collective trial did not appear to have the necessary procedural guarantees to organize a fair trial.