Parliament will use the upcoming recess to conduct a comprehensive legal review of Bahrain’s punishment and counter-terrorism framework following recent incidents involving Iranian-backed groups, individuals and those accused of glorifying their activities.
The announcement was made by Parliament’s foreign affairs, defence and national security committee chairman MP Hassan Bukhammas, during a Press conference yesterday reviewing Parliament’s performance over the legislative term.
Mr Bukhammas said the review would focus on aligning and strengthening penalties across three laws – the Bahrain Penal Code, the Anti-Terrorism Law, and the Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing Combat Law.
“What we are dealing with are not isolated provisions,” Mr Bukhammas said. “These laws intersect, and while they often stipulate that the harsher penalty applies, amendments have been made separately over time. “We now need a unified review to ensure they are fully harmonised and up to date.”
He stressed that the aim was not simply to increase punishments, but to eliminate inconsistencies and close legal gaps that could be exploited by those supporting, financing, promoting or glorifying terrorist activities. “We must make sure there is no grey area between the Penal Code, the Anti-Terrorism Law and the Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing Law,” he said. “The message must be clear, consistent and legally airtight.”
According to Mr Bukhammas, recent security-related incidents have underscored the need to revisit how the laws address not only perpetrators, but also those who assist, finance, encourage or publicly glorify extremist acts or organisations.
“Terrorism today is not only about carrying out an act,” he noted. “It also involves funding, incitement, propaganda and glorification. Our legal system must address all these aspects with the same level of seriousness.”
He added that the review would examine whether existing penalties are proportionate to the evolving nature of threats and whether definitions and classifications across the laws remain consistent.
“These legislations were introduced at different times – 1976, 2001 and 2006 – under different circumstances,” he said. “We are now in a different security environment, and the legal framework must reflect that reality.”
Mr Bukhammas said the committee would work closely with legal experts and relevant authorities during Parliament’s recess to study potential amendments before presenting recommendations when the chamber reconvenes.
He stressed that Bahrain already has a robust legislative base to combat terrorism and related crimes, but that continuous review was essential to keep pace with emerging methods used by extremist networks and their supporters.
“The aim is simple: to ensure that anyone involved in terrorism – directly or indirectly – faces clear, decisive and unified legal consequences under Bahraini law.”
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