Hamad vows to move worthwhile reforms

King Hamad of Bahrain promised on Wednesday to introduce reforms that would “satisfy” all parties after a probe found that police used excessive force against protesters and mistreated detainees. “We will introduce and implement reforms that would please all segments of our society,” King Hamad said in remarks following the release of the findings of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry. The head of the commission said on Wednesday that authorities used torture and excessive force against detainees arrested in crackdowns on the largest Arab Spring uprising in the Gulf. Mahmoud Cherif Bassiouni, making the first official comments on the report’s findings, also said there was no evidence of Iranian links to Bahrain’s protests. The study, which was authorised by Bahrain’s government in a bid to ease tension, marks the most comprehensive document on security force actions during any of the revolts that have flared across the Arab world this year. Bahrain’s government promised “no immunity” for anyone suspected of abuses and said it would propose creating a permanent human rights watchdog commission. “All those who have broken the law or ignored lawful orders and instructions will be held accountable,” said a government statement, which says the report acknowledges that the “systematic practice of mistreatment” ended shortly after martial law was repealed on June 1. Bassiouni’s summary read at a news conference attended by Bahrain’s king confirmed expectations that the report would be highly critical of officials in the strategic kingdom, which is the home to the US Navy’s 5th Fleet. The full text of the report, which focuses on the period between February 14 and March 30, was expected to be released later on Wednesday. The report cast a harsh light on the tactics used against demonstrators and already noted in rights groups allegations: widespread arrests, purges from workplaces and universities, destruction of Shiite mosques and jail abuses. At least 35 people have been killed in violence related to the uprising, including several members of the security forces. “A number of detainees were tortured ... which proved there was a deliberate practice by some,” said Bassiouni. Investigators, however, “did not discover any role of the Iranian Islamic Republic.” The finding is a sharp contrast to claims by Bahrain’s leaders that Iran was linked to the protests. Earlier this month, Bahraini authorities said they arrested five suspected members of an Iranian terror cell that plotted high-profile attacks, including the Saudi embassy in the capital Manama. “You found real shortcomings from some government institutions,” Bahrain’s king, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, told Bassiouni, an Egypt-born professor of international criminal law and a former member of UN human rights panels. “Some might ask why we asked a commission from outside the country ... Our answer is: any government that has an honest desire for reform and progress should be aware of the benefit of objective, constructive criticism.” Just hours earlier, street battles broke out after a 44-year-old man died when his car crashed into a house earlier in the day. Protesters say he swerved to avoid security vehicles. Bahrain’s government said it has launched an investigation.