Report of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry

Report of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry
490. That night, HM King Hamad concluded that Bahrain required the
assistance of military forces from neighbouring GCC countries. This decision
was taken, inter alia, due to the general breakdown of security and law and
order that Bahrain had suffered during the previous days, especially on 13
March, the increasing intensity and frequency of attacks against citizens,
foreign nationals and private and public property, and the expanding scope of
demonstrations and protests which, in the view of the authorities, were
obstructing vital services and facilities. In addition, the GoB considered that
the presence of these GCC forces would deter against what it believed could
be a possible intervention in the internal affairs of Bahrain by the Islamic
Republic of Iran.
Monday, 14 March 2011
491. The state of security and law and order in Bahrain further deteriorated
throughout the day. Groups of vandals and gangs of individuals armed with
knives, swords and other weapons were reported in many of Bahrain’s cities
and villages. A number of assaults against expatriate workers were also
recorded, as well as several attacks against police officers. Fearing for their
lives and property, more citizens organised checkpoints to monitor activity
and traffic in their neighbourhoods.
492. Groups of unidentified individuals carrying light weapons of various
types, such as knives, swords, metal rods and wooden planks, were reported in
many parts of Bahrain during the day. For example, early in the morning, a
small bus that had been seized from an Asian expatriate worker and a truck
were used to block the Sheikh Jaber Al-Sabah Street in Sitra. Similarly, in
A’Ali a number of streets, including Road 36, were blocked using trucks and
other vehicles, while in other parts of that neighbourhood, such as the Sheikh
Zayed Street, gangs of armed vandals were reported to have been roaming the
streets and harassing passers-by. In Hamad Town, checkpoints were set up
near Roundabout 22 where it was alleged that armed individuals had attacked
and harassed persons thought to be Sunni. Also in Hamad Town, a large
gathering of persons near Roundabout 5 set up a checkpoint and reportedly
attacked and assaulted passers-by who they thought were Sunni.
493. Meanwhile, starting from the early hours of the morning, checkpoints
were reported in various areas of the predominantly Sunni district of Al-Riffa,
where the Royal Palace and the residences of Bahrain’s senior leadership are
located. Some of these checkpoints, especially in the vicinity of the Sa’aa
roundabout were monitoring traffic and denying access to the neighbourhood
to persons who were not residents or thought to be Shia. As the day
progressed, unidentified armed individuals also manned checkpoints in Al-
Riffa and other Sunni-majority neighbourhoods. In some cases, these
checkpoints witnessed sectarian confrontations. For example, reports
indicated that at 23:20, around 150 residents of Al-Riffa armed with knives,
swords, and similar weapons clashed with a group of individuals from the
Sanad district in the vicinity of the Elwy Complex. Meanwhile, more clashes
between groups of Sunni and Shia individuals were recorded in other places,
including in the vicinity of the Issa Town Medical Centre, Nowedirat, Al Dair,
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