Having now read the 498-page report of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry, it is fair to say that there is little in it that casts the government in a good light. Fears that the inquiry would be a whitewash were clearly unfounded, as the report is anything but complimentary. It would be wise for Formula 1 people to read the details before deciding the rights and wrongs of holding a Grand Prix there in five months from now.
The commission was established in July by King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa to investigate and report on the events that occurred in Bahrain in February and March, and the consequences of these events. The commission was asked to discover if there had been violations of international human rights norms and asked to give details of acts of violence that occurred including the nature of the acts, how they occurred, who the actors were and what consequences there were, in particular at the Salmaniya Hospital and the Pearl Roundabout. It was also asked to look into police brutality and alleged violence by protestors against police and others, including foreigners, and to look into the circumstances and appropriateness of arrests and detentions. In addition it was tasked with examining allegations of disappearances or torture; ascertain if there was any media harassment against participants in demonstrations and public protests; look into any unlawful demolition of religious structures and discover if there was any clear foreign involvement in the events.
The Commission consisted of five members: chairman Professor M. Cherif Bassiouni; Judge Philippe Kirsch QC (Belgium/Canada); Professor Sir Nigel Rodley (UK); Dr Mahnoush Arsanjani (Iran); and Dr Badria Al Awadhi (Kuwait). It was granted the same privileges and immunities as United Nations experts. Its staff consisted of 51 people, including 12 investigators, 12 assistants, five administrators, four administrative assistants and 18 technical and scientific consultants. This group looked at 2,639 written complaints, 5,188 statements made either in person on electronically and statements from 283 organisations.
“The existence of inter-sectarian tension in Bahrain is undeniable,” the report concluded, “but a dichotomous image of Bahraini society is both inaccurate and incomplete. Islam is not the only faith practised in Bahrain. Rather, Bahrain is notable for having both Christian and Jewish communities that have lived in the country for many years. Residents of Bahrain also adhere to various other faiths, including Hinduism and Sikhism, and they are all allowed to practise their religions freely.
“Within each community there are multiple views on religious, theological, political, economic and social questions. Even among those who espouse similar positions, there are divergences as to the tools and policies appropriate to attaining their objectives.
“Claims of sectarian discrimination and favouritism are a common accusation levied by each group against the other within the country. Furthermore, perceptions of social reality and narratives of political events in Bahrain are often laden with sectarian intonations and shaped by historical grievances. Yet Bahraini society is not divided into two monolithic sects. Within the Shia and Sunni communities, there exists a diversity of religious views and political opinions. Broad generalisations about the positions or allegiances of either sect misrepresent the social reality of Bahrain.”
The report examined in great detail the sequence of events that took place. It is worth noting that in addition to all the violence against the protesters that has been widely reported, the commission discovered the following details about the raid on the Pearl Roundabout: “forty-seven police were wounded, some severely, during the confrontations. Post-operation searches of the roundabout found four pistols and bullets as well as large quantities of knives, daggers, swords and other sharp objects in the area. While there were no reports of police sustaining gunshot wounds, many were injured by sharp objects similar to those found at roundabout. Some police officers sustained wounds when protestors attempted to run them over with their vehicles”. So clearly the protesters were not entirely peaceful.
The report went on to reveal that the Bahrain International Circuit chairman Zayed Al-Zayani played a key role in the drama when he met representatives of the opposition in a bid to calm the situation on several occasions.
Much international condemnation has come because of treatment of medical staff at the Salmaniya Medical Complex. While much of this has been widely reported it is worth noting that the commission reported that it received “video footage showing protesters pouring blood from blood bags onto their clothes” in order to appear wounded for TV cameras. The doctors denied providing the blood.
The Commission concluded that there was “there is evidence supporting” the claims that the medical staff intentionally spread false rumours and information about the events at SMC, but that this was with respect to “some, but not all, of the medical personnel.”
The Commission said that there was “no evidence to support the allegation that medical personnel misappropriated medical supplies” and ruled that allegations that medical personnel assisted the demonstrators by supplying them with weapons to be unfounded. The commission also said that “the involvement of some doctors and medical personnel in various political activities on and around the SMC premises was clearly difficult to reconcile with the full exercise of their medical responsibilities and highly disruptive to the optimum operation of an important medical facility in a time of crisis”, but went on to say that “security services executed unlawful arrests on SMC premises, and attacked and mistreated some individuals, including medical personnel”.
The commission listed a total of 46 deaths, and examined each in detail. Thirteen were civilians killed by the security forces. Eight deaths could not be explained and five deaths were alleged to have been as the result of torture. Four expatriate workers were killed, two of these killings were attributed to being attacked by mobs. Four police officers and a member of the Bahrain Defence Force (BDF) were also killed. Three of these deaths were attributed to the protesters. The commission reported that investigations into civilian deaths were ongoing in a number of these killings with three resulting in criminal prosecutions against those responsible. The commission concluded that “in general the BDF did not use excessive force” and did not have a policy of “the arbitrary deprivation of life” and “on the whole, it complied with the rules of engagement by using minimal force in dealing with civilians”. However it also concluded that the security forces in “many situations violated the principles of necessity and proportionality”. The Commission said that the Military Attorney General‘s investigations were not effective, did not satisfy international standards and consequently they were not in compliance with international law. It proposed that the government “should conduct effective investigations into all the deaths that have been attributed to the security forces. These investigations should be capable of leading to the prosecution of those implicated, both directly and at all levels of responsibility, if the conclusion is that there was a breach of the law”.
When it came to arrests during and after the protests the commission concluded that “a substantial number of the arrests” violated international human rights law and Bahrain law and that treatment of persons in custody was poor with many accusations of physical and verbal abuse and sectarian insults, prisoners hearing the shouts of other detainees being tortured, which created a climate of fear, threats of rape or death and allegations of sexual abuse of detainees at various locations. The accusations also included the refusal of access to toilet facilities and being forced to sign confessions. The commission even went into specific torture techniques used. The conclusion was that the evidence indicated “clear patterns of behaviour by certain government agencies” and called for an independent investigation. It also called for all persons charged with offences involving political expression, not consisting of advocacy of violence, have their convictions reviewed and sentences commuted or charges dropped. The body also investigated the demolition of places of worship and concluded that this did occur and that “various government officials, having publicly condemned the demonstrations, created an environment whereby individuals participating in demonstrations and strikes could face retaliation for their involvement by employers” and said that the government should look into instances where people lost their jobs as a result of their involvement in protests. In addition it called for students who had been expelled from the university to be reinstated.
The commission also found that some expatriates, in particular South Asian workers, were the targets of attacks by mobs and called on the government to develop educational programmes at the primary, secondary and university levels to promote religious, political and other forms of tolerance, as well as promote human rights and the rule of law. There were similar recommendations after the commission concluded that there was “sufficient evidence to support the finding that Sunnis were targeted by some groups of demonstrators, either because they professed loyalty to the regime or on the basis of their sect”.
The commission did not find any evidence of media incitement to violence but said that it was clear that the media in Bahrain is “biased towards the government. Six of the seven daily newspapers are pro-government and the broadcasting service is state-controlled” and it called for relaxation of the laws of censorship. The Commission said that there was no evidence that suggested “a discernible link between specific incidents that occurred in Bahrain during February/March 2011 and the Islamic Republic of Iran”.
All things considered the government of Bahrain does not come out of the report well. Much work needs to be done to heal the wounds created and there continues to be regular trouble on the streets.
Formula 1 must now decide whether it wishes to get involved in all of this, or wait until things have improved and not risk putting itself into the middle of a political mess.
joeblogsf1 
Everyone connected with F1 should read Annex B — Summary of Torture Allegations, pp 420-466, which details the cold-blooded torture of 60 human beings. The King yesterday said: “Our highest objective, after pleasing God, is to promote brotherhood, harmony, and tolerance among all our people, within the environment of a pluralistic, cohesive, and prosperous society; a society that guarantees the rule of law and human rights; a society that ensures the tranquil pursuit of opportunities and fulfillment for everyone.” He says that, but presides over the machinery of torture and repression that even today, the day after the BICI report, attacked a funeral in Aali with tear gas. Is this the guy you want presenting the trophies and shaking the hands of the podium on 22 April 2012?
Tom Rizzo,
You must consider that the King commissioned the report… so perhaps he did not feel he knew enough about what was going on. It is fairly illogical to have asked a bunch of international human rights experts to rip you to pieces, isn’t it?
If one wishes to assume the King did not know what was happening in his country all spring and summer long, then perhaps he should retire. He might well have been surprised by the bluntness of the report, but it was a risk he felt he could afford to take, obviously. F1 needs Bahrain like a fish needs a bicycle.
i know that my words would not mean anything with what the report would said more but from our point of view as bahraini people we are looking forward for f1 to return F1 became a bahraini culture and something every youth, adults, women and children know and during the last 7 years get used to the sweet engine noise that rumble the sand …
its a right for bahrain to keep the 2012 race after it was stripped twice from us 2011 and its our right – if you claim as been true to your self and rights – for the kingdom to be in the map of the fast track and f1 races …
we lost a lot during this year and we don’t have to say what are the things that we lost but at the end of the day we always look for the future, for tomorrow a brighter tomorrow this is what every bahraini is looking for
what will be the benefit for not having a race in bahrain? that is what i do ask? from taken it away again and again with the well and faith that f1 took something from bahrain and bahraini people
i will tell you one statement of how the bahraini people with all the mix between them – when f1 was stripped again from bahrain – the bahraini marshal had one goal in their mind their famous statement was “if f1 didn’t come to the bahraini marshals, the bahraini marshals will go to the f1 ” which was achieved by the joint effort between the bahrain motorsports marshal club and the Indian motorsports marshal club with the blessings of the FIA and their highest recommendation which every bahraini marshal as an award to be among the best in the world
This is simply the bahraini people, no matter how hard living is they will always find a way to survive and this is the true bahraini spirit that all f1 teams, drivers, fans, media & whom ever knew what bahrain is know what is really going on
no matter what you say sir, we do respect you and we do respect everyone who have anything to say about this tiny island in land size but really big in its people, spirit and the true love to this land no matter which way you go … right or left …
Thanks again and we wish to welcome you in Bahrain 2012
Thanks for the excerpt Joe. I had so far read only the general observations and reccomandations section.
I think Bahrain should really get moving on these issues before it even makes sense to discuss when/if a GP will be held here. In other words, maybe in 2013 and beyond, if things go well
Tom Rizzo – Even if the king “knew” – had strong suspections – of what was going on, the simple fact he let this commission put it to paper and tell them about it shows both courage and a will to make a move on improving matters.
And it gives the ones who were not supportive of such practises a good tool/basis to fight back and regain the upper hand in deciding where the country goes in the coming years.
For the use of teargas just look at “cleaning” of the occupy camps recently in the USA, or indeed regular policing at football meetings to see that while it does show something is not OK, its not always over limits to use it. Bullets are, torture as well.
I say we wait a bit to see how Bahrain deals with these findings before condemning everyone there.
You haven’t mentioned anything about the mass dismission from work in the light of sizing the freedom of expression. Bahrain International Circut ,BIC, was one of the party which dismiss number of workers due to the unrest which occur in feb and mar.
Abdul…
Yes I did.
whilst there is problems and abuses admitted by the government the protestors are not entirely blameless with constant burning of tyres on main roads, stringing of chains across roads and securing with pad locks, dropping large quantities of oil on main roads etc.
overall the BICI report highlights all the problems on the government side and hopefully they will correct it over a period of time but it will take both sides to work together.
F1 should be brave enough to hold the grand prix in bahrain as vote of confidence that Bahrain is working to overcome its difficulties and provide a much needed boost to the economy.
Other countries such as China have a poor human rights record but F1 turns a blind eye there why do they have 20/20 vision when it comes to Bahrain.
I live in Bahrain and not confident that common sense will prevail when it comes to the F1.
paul,
Read the report.
Absolutely shocking and disgusting. Bahrain doesn’t deserve F1 after this and the sport should hang it’s head in shame if it decides to go back there.
As usual, going after Bahrain again
xyz,
Did you read the report commissioned by the King. Accuse him of going after Bahrain. It was his idea.
I have not read the report but I have read Joe’s summary with close attention. Based on what Joe says about it, the report apparently provides ample support for those who harshly criticize govermental institutions and for those who see the very existence of the critical report as a positive sign.
There is no need to argue about whether just one or the other is true. Both are true. It’s not a case of “either-or”, it’s a matter of “and”.
Given this, it seems to me that any decision about the long-term future of the race is premature. To OK the race for this year would be blind to serious institutional offenses. To terminate the race permanently would be blind to what appears to be a good faith effort to make progress.
A few months is simply insufficient time for signs of adequate follow-through to be in evidence. But it is ample time for further abuses to perhaps occur.
Thus, it seems that the only possible rapid resolution would be to kill the race.
Those who might wish to see the race continue should argue that the race be suspended, such that it has a slot to return to in the future, if/when there is ample evidence of appropriate improvements, corrections, and atonement having been made.
This is a good example of a case when the best possible resolution is one that can be reached only if it is made not until we are several steps further down the road. A few months is too soon for that.
I have had a gut feeling all along that F1 should not go back to Bahrain next year or in the foreseeable future and this report only confirms it.
I am impressed, however, that they allowed the members of the Commission to have complete freedom access and immunity.
Tom Rizzo, the king might have been supprised by the extent of what happened. In that case, he can only be said to have done the right thing to let it be investigated.
But its just as possible that the king was pretty much expecting this and bit the bullet to get it on the table to be the basis to force a certain course of action that might put an end to it and help the country get on.
Whatever the background, now these facts are out in the open and its up to Bahrain to act on them.
For those who have come to the King’s defense, you should be aware that substantially all of the “shocking” detail in this report has been available ever since February on the Bahrain Center for Human Rights’ webpage, among others. The BCHR site even has many gory pictures of the victims, which the BICI report did not include.
The government’s ridiculous actions (using lethal force to begin with, the mass sackings, use of torture, persecution of the medical workers, etc etc etc) backed it into a corner. Human rights organizations like Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, etc. were very strong in opposition to these tactics all along. When F1 canceled the 2011 race, as well as a few other major sporting events and a few businesses, it became apparent that the government was losing the propaganda war, and things weren’t going to be made safe for the money with a wave of a magic wand. At first, the BICI process appeared to be on course for a whitewash, when they floated the trial balloon that the torture wasn’t systematic. In the end, it provided a golden opportunity for the government to come to its senses. We’ll see which course it chooses, but the events of today do not bode very well.
Tom Rizzo,
Hardly an independent source.
BasCB (@Logist_BCB)
> Whatever the background, now these facts are out in the open and its up
> to Bahrain to act on them.
Precisely.
A report on abuses does not comprise sufficient reason to hold the race.
A subsequent independent report on responsive and corrective steps may (or may not) provide sufficient reason to hold the race. We can hope it would, but hope is not the same as accomplished fact.
Thus, the best decision is one that cannot be made at this time. Yet I see that Bernie says the race will go forward. Which is to say that he has not made the best decision. Perhaps he will be overruled by consensus yet again.
Tom Rizzo,
And what about countries that allow rendition flights and black sites? Does your crusade therefore knock out the possibility of a French, Italian, Austrian, British, Spanish, Danish, United States, Swedish, Polish, Moroccan, Romanian, Portuguese or Irish GP? Brazil should be excluded for its activities of death squads, Australia for its stolen generations, Malaysia for its judicial canings, India for what Human Rights Watch recently called “significant human rights problems” and the lack of accountability for security forces and impunity for abusive policing including “police brutality, extrajudicial killings, and torture”, Hungary for violence in prisons, police brutality and harbouring ex-Nazis and so on, and so forth.
OK, so we can race in Monaco and Canada. Great.
joesaward, can you honestly say that the governments of all the countries you have mentioned have anywhere near the financial stake in the Grand Prix as does Bahrain’s? I haven’t read your reporting on Obama’s interest in COTA, or Cameron’s in the redevelopment of Silverstone. You completely glossed over my point, that no country is innocent of human rights violations at some point in history, and you failed totally to adequately explain the stance F1 finally came to take in South Africa (that was entirely F1’s decision, not part of “my crusade”). Focus on the facts and leave the ad hominem out of it.
And if you’re calling into question the bona fides of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, then you simply do not know very much about this subject. It was you who suggested the King was courageous to have the commission rip him to shreds. You made it sound as if no one knew most of this as it was happening all along. That is simply not the case.
Well, the first thing is to have some info, and this is some of it. Lots of work to do. Absolutely no chance, I would have thought, to have a race in 2012, but why not in about 2015 ? Once all the medical personnel are out, of course.
What I don’t understand about the situation is why F-1 continues to single out Bahrain, yet gladly go to China (remember Tiannamen Square?). What about Brazil last year, when Jenson Button was waylaid by thugs? Even South Korea could use a lesson on police brutality (as witnessed by my family while visiting). The post from Ahmed Aldoseri seemed sincere; just a normal everyday bloke who feels the situation is out of his hands, and is frustrated; that is if you can take his post at face value. I feel the same way, living in the U.S. As for suspending the race; Bernie doesn’t make any money on indefinitely postponing the race. There are many others willing to pony up the cash to take Bahrain’s spot on the calendar. If you dig deep enough, there are moral grounds to not race in just about every country on the F-1 calendar. I follow racing to escape from the daily frustration i get from the news. Unless there is a clear and present danger to the teams and support personnel by attending the race, then let it go on. Nobody is talking about canceling the Super Bowl because of the Occupy Wall Street folk, or imminent threats to our national security. Life goes on, and every now and then, we need a break and need to do something fun. I live about as far away from any meaningful racing as one can (Northwest US), so I don’t have any actual involvement, other than what I see on tele or internet (I tell myself I have a god’s eye view of all the action, whether F-1, NASCAR, IndyCar, Aussie V-8, etc.), but I do keep current and educated regarding world events. As long as the trouble can be reasonably managed while the F-1 circus is in town, let it go on.
IMHO, after just just getting a news notice on a local tv/sport station that COTA has stated that it is now fully prepared to pay the required race fee to host the United States Grand Prix with an immediate cash payment, I’m thinking that Bahrain just might get dropped from the calendar for 2012.
@zenmeister – I’m very impressed also – indeed, I’m shocked – it throws into stark relief the Irish/British approach to these kind of investigations over the years… it always takes us 30+ years to get an unbiased report that calls a spade a spade like that, and when we do, it’s almost all redacted…
Dear all,
Now, what would happen, our dearest king sleeping beauty have just had his wake up kiss (the report), so no more ecexuses!!
The shocking part is that the conclusions of the great report with it’s goods and bads is now forwarded to those who have committed the crimes at the first place!!
I do think that our dearest sleeping beauty king is just still asleep and nothing would wake him up except a UN commission kiss.
Good night.
Joe,
Good journalism mate.
As you allude too, the first step in solving any problem is recognising the problem, they have done that. It took a big pair of shoulders to commission that report (most would have commissioned a cover-up) now let’s give them respect for that and allow and help where possible to fix the problems. As a famous shampoo ad said “It won’t happen overnight but (I’m now optimistic) it will happen.
regards,
“OK, so we can race in Monaco and Canada. ”
Hey Joe, have you forgotten about the Canadian seal pups cull? It should be a no-go as well!
Tom Rizzo,
I suggest that if you wish to save the world from bad guys and be a Formula 1 fan at the same time, you should start your own blog. I am simply putting forward a sensible argument about the current situation and I do not want to get dragged into endless arguing about the rights of wrongs of governments.
Bottom line – Are you really ‘punishing’ corrupt regimes by stopping them having F1?
Probably not. In the grand scheme of things it doesn’t matter that much. In fact by going away you reduce scrutiny on the country.
The reason for F1 being there in the first place is to grab some time on the world stage, and that’s the last thing you need when your shooting hospital staff.
Can a sport be harmed by associating with unsavory characters/regimes? Probably. The balance is how much money can you get out of them be they countries, dodgy financiers, oligarchs, money lauderers etc, before the s- – t storm starts to splash your Berlutti shoes. At which point you walk smartly away blustering disgustedly.
By having F1, a country focuses a lot of attention on itself from a disparate bunch of sports fans. Most of them will have no knowledge of the country prior to its F1 involvement, but they do seem to come quickly up to speed and have among their ranks many who are not backward in coming forward with their political opinions.
Personally, I think the Myanmar, Zimbabwe, Iranian and Israel GP’s are long overdue.
Get in there Bernie and have some fun.