Rights abuses investigated,Bahrian tells UN

Bahraini officials have told the UN human rights council that the kingdom is investigating human rights abuses despite widespread scepticism. Human rights minister Salah bin Ali Mohammed Abdulrahman appeared for a review of Bahrain's rights record. Members of the 47-nation council, whose report on Bahrain is due to be publish on Wednesday, called on the nation to grant new trials to activists convicted in military courts. Opposition groups, led the al-Wefaq party, claimed there has been an increase in rights abuses since the kingdom pledged to tackle the problem in the wake of a critical report by the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry. They said Bahrain's response to the report was an "insult" to the BICI and the international community. The authorities in Bahrain have escalated their excessive use of force against citizens. During the past few months, a dramatic increase of security's use of birdshot against protesters in the street has been documented in many different areas, resulting in severe injuries in different parts of the body. text here