The year 2017 emerged as one of the most burdensome years in the memories of Bahrainis, and one of the deadliest years ever.

Complementing the austerity policy and the lifting of subsidies on basic goods and services, the government has approved the value added tax (VAT) in a Gulf agreement to add more burdens on the shoulders of Bahrainis.

The Bahraini authorities did not wish to end 2017 any different than it started. Six Bahrainis were sentenced to death six days before the end of the year, just like three Bahrainis were executed for political reasons at the beginning of 2017.

The Bahraini authorities started its first attempt to disperse the Diraz sit-in, which had been staged since June 20, 2016 outside the house of Ayatollah Sheikh Isa Qassim, following a decision revoking his nationality.

The year 2017 witnessed the revocation of 155 citizenships of Bahrainis, due to politically-motivated cases. On average, that would be 13 citizenship revocations every month.

On May 1, 2017, the UN Human Rights Council examined Bahrain's human rights record by working group on the UPR, for the third time since the launch of this strategy. The first UPR on Bahrain was held in April 2008, while the second one was held in May 2012.

While Bahrainis were still exchanging New Year's greetings in 2017, the Bahraini regime surprised them with the toughest news; Abbas Al-Samie (26 years), Sami Mushaima (40 years) and Ali Al-Singace (21 years) will be the first to be executed in Bahrain within 6 years after the uprising. The authorities have not executed any political death sentences since they executed martyr Isa Kambar in March 1996.

With the onset of 2017, the Ministry of Interior announced that 10 individuals fled the prison. Inmate Rida Al-Ghasra and 9 others escaped. Therefore, the prison administration and two senior officials from the Interior Minister were referred to investigation.

2017 came to put an end to public political work in the country through dissolving the National Democratic Action Society (Wa'ad), the second largest opposing society in Bahrain. On March 6, 2017, Bahraini Minister of Justice announced filing a lawsuit demanding to dissolve "Wa'ad", accusing it of "promoting forceful overthrow of political regime". The ministry said that "The society committed gross violations in breach of the Kingdom's laws, including incitement of acts of terrorism and promoting violent and forceful overthrow of political regime. The society glorified convicted terrorists and saboteurs who used weapons, detonated bombs in killing and wounding several security men, supporting parties who were legally convict

The Bahraini authorities decided to silence the last independent media voice through its decision to suspend the opposition-linked Al-Wasat newspaper, as part of the most aggressive campaign against the opposition since 2011.

The royal family in Bahrain never stopped accusing the opposition of being loyal to or working for foreign powers, in a bid to topple the regime. The accusation never changed, but the accused countries do.

A year of executions. This could probably best describe 2017, the year in which the royal family was focused on executing and killing innocent people. This is the year that started with the execution of 3 dissidents, and ended with issuing death sentences against 6 others in a military court.

2017 was an exhausting year with rougher escalating violence. The political situation ended its 6th year falling deeper into crisis, with eradicating freedom of expression and opinion, issuing harsher and retaliating judicial verdicts. Everything is heading towards ending the last margin of the "state", and in return rule with oppression, tyranny, and suppression of voices and lives.

Bahrain raised the ceiling of public debt to an unprecedented level when it approved a law to raise the borrowing limit to 13 billion dinars, which constitutes more than 80% of state revenues.

Human rights defenders and activists experienced a brutal period during 2017; torture, extortion, travel bans and attacks on homes and properties, as well as pressures and threats aimed at turning activists and rights defenders into informants.

The Bahraini authorities launched last year executing 3 young dissidents in politically-motivated cases, followed by the killing of 5 peaceful protesters in Diraz outside the house of Ayatollah Sheikh Isa Qassim.