Bahrain imposes restrictions on those wishing to travel as the Arbaeen Pilgrimage approaches

With the pilgrimage of Imam Hussein, peace be upon him, approaching, and thousands of Shia citizens from Bahrain are preparing to visit the holy shrines in Iraq, the Department of Nationality, Passports and Residence Affairs of the Ministry of Interior in Bahrain has imposed a travel permit application form.

The online link of the form showed the ministry’s requirement for citizens to specify the destination and reasons for travel, while citizens raised concerns about its intentional issuance of this sudden decision at this time, with the approaching Arbaeen Pilgrimage and thousands of Bahraini citizens heading to the holy city of Najaf and Karbala in Iraq.

The Bahrain Center for Human Rights said on its Twitter account that this measure restricts individual and collective freedoms in the country, and it must be retracted because it is particularly discriminatory against Shia citizens.