Those siding with Qatar or objecting to Bahrain action to be punished

Following Bahrain’s severance of diplomatic ties with Qatar and the steps taken by Gulf and Arab countries against Doha as a result of its hostile activities against Bahrain, against Gulf and Arab values as well as the principles of international law, the Interior Ministry affirmed on Thursday that as a sovereign right of Bahrain, any 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. This step is being taken to maintain the security and civil peace and protect the supreme national interests.