Report of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry

Report of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry
C. Concluding Observations
640. Chapter II, in presenting a brief historical review of Bahrain,
identified some of the sources of popular discontent over the years. Many of
the demands for political and socio-economic reforms voiced in February and
March 2011 were not new.
641. In the present globalised context, events in different parts of the world
sometimes impact each other. Thus, understanding one event may require a
broader view of the larger context. Some regions of the world, however, have
more significant strategic and economic weight than others. Thus, what
occurs within them has a greater impact on certain parts of the world and even
on the world as a whole. Bahrain is in an important strategic region. As an
Arab and Muslim country, Bahrain is necessarily a part of developments in
these two groups of countries and maybe more so with respect to the Arab
world to which it is more closely connected. Thus, what is generally called
the Arab spring also had its impact in Bahrain. Though each Arab country has
reacted differently, the Arab spring has stimulated pent up popular reactions
and grievances in many Arab States, including Bahrain. Unlike earlier
manifestations of unrest, the initial protests that began on 14 February were
not orchestrated by institutionalised political opposition groups, but were
triggered and led by networks of discontented and politically unaffiliated
youth. Like their counterparts in other Arab countries, they used modern
technology, including social media networks to call for demonstrations and
publicise their demands. Furthermore, the demands raised during the protests
that began on 14 February enjoyed, at least initially, a large degree of popular
support that crossed religious, sectarian and ethnic lines.
642. The roots of what started on 14 February go back to the 1970s, 1980s
and 1990s. During each of these decades, even before the appearance of
social media, people demonstrated for what they believed to be their political,
economic and social rights. During the beginning of the events in Bahrain, as
during the past decades, the demand was for reforms, not for regime change.
This was the same in the early stages of the demonstrations and protests in
Tunisia, Egypt, Syria and Yemen. But as experience shows, when demands
for reforms are rebuffed, the demands become for regime change. In the end,
the society becomes both polarised and radicalised. This situation leaves little
room for a centre that could bring together people from all ethnic and
sectarian groups and from all social and economic strata to work for reforms
based on well established principals and processes of democracy, good
governance and respect for internationally protected human rights.
1. The Progression of the Protest Movement
643. It is not the task of the Commission to determine which side is
responsible for which outcomes, but it is necessary in order to understand the
evolution of events to look at the facts and their underlying causes. In this
respect, there is no doubt that what occurred in February and March and
subsequent related events was the result of an escalating process and that both
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