BICI Report Released, King Pledges Reform

Today, the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI) released its 489-page report “investigating and reporting on the events that took place in Bahrain from February 2011, and the consequences of those events.”  The BICI was formed on July 1st, 2011 by “His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa (HM King Hamad) in Royal Order No. 28.” The Commission noted ”approximately 9000 written complaints were received by the BICI from both citizens and foreign residents who claimed to be victims of human rights violations. Moreover, the BICI conducted over 5000 personal interviews with individual complainants at the Commission’s offices during which allegations of human rights violations against those individuals and their families were investigated.”

According to the report, “the evidence presented to the Commission in relations to the involvement of the Islamic Republic [...] does not establish a discernible link between specific incidents that occurred in Bahrain during February/March 2011 and the Islamic Republic of Iran.”  The report also determined evidence of systematic torture in Bahrain: ”the NSA and MoI followed a systematic practice of physical and psychological mistreatment, which in many cases amounted to torture” and furthermore, “many of the detainees expressed the view that the security forces acted with complete impunity and that there was no prospect of accountability for the treatment that the detainees suffered.”   On the issue of destruction of mosques and religious sites:  ”Of the 30 demolished places of worship inspected by the Commission, only five had fully complied with legal and administrative requirements for acquisition of land and obtaining required permit.”

In its recommendations, the report suggests the Government of Bahrain “establish an independent and impartial national commission consisting of personalities of high standing representing both the GoB, opposition political parties and civil society to follow up and implement the recommendations of this Commission.”  Further, the BICI recommends “to make subject to review in ordinary courts all convictions and sentences rendered by the National Security Courts” where fundamental principles of a fair trial were not respected.  In reference to the composition of the state security forces, the report recommends “the GoB establish urgently, and implement vigorously, a programme for the integration into the security forces of personnel from all the communities in Bahrain.”  Finally, the “Commission recommends to the GoB the development of a national reconciliation programme that addresses the grievances of groups which are, or perceive themselves, to be deprived of equal political, social and economic rights and benefits across all segments of Bahrain‘s population.”

The Bahrain News Agency released a transcript of King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa‘s speech in response to the report, stating that “we [the Kingdom of Bahrain] do not tolerate the mistreatment of detainees and prisoners. We are dismayed to find that it has occurred, as your Report has found, and we will not accept any excuse based on national exceptionalism.”  The King pledged his determination “to ensure that the painful events our beloved nation has just experienced are not repeated, but that we learn from them, and use our new insights as a catalyst for positive change.”

To do so, the King pledged to reform Bahraini national laws so as to make them consistent with international standards, address and review issues of due process, job dismissals, and expulsions from international institutions.  The King noted the report was lengthy and detailed, and declared his intent to establish “a working group of members of the Government [...] to conduct an in-depth reflection on your findings and recommendations. This working group will then urgently propose concrete responses to your recommendations.”  Further he noted the government’s decision “to engage international organizations and eminent individuals to assist and advise our law enforcement agencies, and to improve their procedures.”  Finally, the King called for the creation of an Arab Court of Human Rights.