Amnesty: Bahrain Report Chance to “Deliver Justice”

In anticipation of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI) report, Amnesty International called the report “an opportunity for the government to deliver justice for the victims of human rights violations.” Philip Luther, Amnesty International’s Acting Director for the Middle East and North Africa said, “The publication of this report gives Bahrain’s authorities a key opportunity to demonstrate that they intend to deliver justice to victims of abuse and carry through on promises of reform.” Luther continued: “It is crucial that the BICI report’s recommendations lead to a serious effort by the Bahraini government to implement lasting measures that improve the human rights [in Bahrain],” adding that ”the authorities must provide reparations to the victims, reinstate those who were dismissed from work and reform legislation that criminalizes public gatherings.”

In a press release the Bahraini government has acknowledged “instances of excessive force and mistreatment of detainees” during this year’s crackdown on political protests. The statement also announced new laws criminalizing torture and establishing an independent human rights institution. Anthony Shadid asks ”whether reconciliation can stop an unraveling” in Bahrain and across the Middle East. Shadid suggests that the BICI report’s “promise is to chart a way forward for changes to blunt the fires of revolution that have swept Tunisia, Egypt and Libya, but “its peril is that it comes too late for Bahrain.”