The highly anticipated independent commission investigation report was released with an air mixed with anxiety, dread and a great deal of criticism. Many were unable to comprehend any good coming from a commission appointed by the King of Bahrain and skepticism spread throughout the nation. The world kept a close eye on the development of the report and on Wednesday the 23rd of November the eyes of the international media shifted towards the tiny gulf kingdom. Many were relying on the outcomes of the investigation report, chaired by Mahmoud Cherif Bassiouni, a distinguished international human rights expert and supported by his team of experienced investigators, administrators, technical assistants and scientific consultants. The US have been waiting irritably for the results of the commission investigation which they say will determine whether they sell arms worth over $53 million to the government that suppressed mass scaled protests which engulfed Bahrain throughout 2011.

According to the report, titled the "Report of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Enquiry", the commission received over 8000 complaints of human rights abuses “relevant to its mandate” since initiating its investigation on the 20th of July approximately 5 months after the uprising began. The report has been tough with the government and this was evident as the world watched the report unfold at the “event” set up to release the statement; We could feel a sense of distress reflecting upon the faces of the heads of government sat down listening to Cherif Bassiouni deliver the harsh results of the investigation.

The commission found that during the uprising, the number of deaths reached 35 persons with 13 being attributed to the security forces, 10 attributed to the Ministry of Interior and 2 attributed to the Bahrain Defence Force. The commission also recorded that amongst the countless cases of torture, there have been 5 deaths as a result of specific torture. 8 other deaths were recorded by the commission but have not been attributed to a specific perpetrator and 5 security forces who died in which 3 deaths were attributable to demonstrators, 1 to the Bahraini Defence Force and one without a perpetrator. There were a further 11 deaths that the report stated are “potentially linked to the events in February/March 2011.

With this the report provides a horrific account of the way protesters were attacked, beaten and shot at using shotguns, handguns and other weapons. The commission has accused security forces of using unnecessary and excessive lethal force in a majority of these cases and has found a breach of international human rights obligations.

Hasan Jassim Mohamed Maki a deceased victim of torture with sickle cell anaemia was attacked by “sharp objects”, subjected to horrific beatings to the head and body and one of the witnesses told of how he heard security forces, who knew of his condition, threatening to “shower him and turn on the air conditioning in his cell”. Many cases involved handcuffing and blindfolding victims while forcing them to lie on their stomachs forcing “hallucinations or confusion”. Cherif Bassiouni in delivering his speech to the King made the observation that “the most common techniques for mistreatment used on detainees included the following: blindfolding, handcuffing, enforced standing for prolonged periods, beating, punching, hitting the detainee with rubber hoses (including on the soles of feet), cables, whips, metal, wooden planks or other objects, electrocution, sleep-deprivation, exposure to extreme temperatures, verbal abuse, threats of rape and insulting the detainee‘s religious sect. These methods have also been used for the purposes of extracting confessions that were later used in court.

Cases of arbitrary abuse and arrests have also been gruesomely illustrated with serious acts of oppression including systematically raiding and beating demonstrators in their homes in the presence of their family members whilst verbally abusing them. The suppression on protests has been taking place deprived of any proportionality, in cases where the police were not subject to an “imminent threat of death or serious injury”. For a considerable number of arrests, warrants were not issued and civilians were not aware of why they were arrested states the investigation report.

The state television channel has also taken a hit where it was accused of publishing “derogatory language and inflammatory coverage of events”.

The Bassiouni report has found that a chilling “systematic form of behaviour” existed within the regime, which they found evident in the fact that security forces were trained and "expected to act in this way". A change of justification is now also needed on the part of the government as their claims of an Iranian influence on the protest have been quashed where no evidence has been found to back up the claim. Although this is the case, there are still some government figures pressing the speculative and unsubstantiated claim of Iranian ties. UK Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, William Hague, has commented that the commission findings are "deeply worrying" and has called on the government to act decisively to address the abuses.

Even though the report highlights the human rights infringements of the Bahraini authority and produces a list of reform recommendations, it has left the task of implementing these recommendations on the infringing body. Calls on the government to resign are being echoed throughout the nation as opposition leaders describe their inaction and reluctance on stepping down as “living in the past”. The King is in the process of setting up a commission to enforce the recommendations of the report in 2012 but this has been met with criticism over its time limit and the members of the commission have also been a question for discussion.

Immediately after the release of the report the country has continued to face arbitrary arrests and the suppression of protests and funeral processions. In fact only a few hours before the report was released, the opposition declared the death of another civilian at the hands of the police force. We continue to see people unable to find a voice for their words as they struggle to make their demands clear.

Bahrain needs immediate action and those who have committed these human rights abuses must be investigated and taken to trial. The victims of torture, arrests and the families of the killed need justice on their side and the people must be allowed to continue a peaceful movement to a road lit with freedom.

Report of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Enquiry

Ahmed Ali, Intern
29/11/2011