Report of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry

Report of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry
approximately 400-500 University of Bahrain students joined students from
the Abdulla bin Issa School in a demonstration in the vicinity of the Ministry
of Education. More people subsequently joined this protest, including
teachers and parents who demanded the removal of the Minister of Education
for what they considered to be the poor quality of education in Bahrain. Many
teachers also protested the hiring of temporary teachers during the strike that
had been called for by the Bahrain Teachers’ Society. In addition to these
demands, which specifically related to the educational sector, many
demonstrators raised slogans similar to those in other areas of Bahrain, such as
demands for the removal of the regime and condemnation of the use of force
against peaceful protesters. Later that night, another demonstration of over
100 school students took place at the GCC Roundabout.
344. One of the important developments of this day was the holding of a
demonstration in front of the Bahrain National Assembly. At 09:00,
demonstrators used large buses and some trucks to move from the GCC
Roundabout towards the National Assembly in the Gudaibiya district. By
09:30, almost 1,000 people had gathered at the Bahraini legislature, where
they repeated many of the slogans and demands that had been raised in
different parts of the country during the previous days, such as calling for the
removal of the regime and rejecting any political dialogue before the regime
was removed. Other protesters accused HM King Hamad of violating the
basic human rights of Bahrainis and ordering the killing of innocent
demonstrators. Later, some of the demonstrators formed a human chain
around the legislature.
345. It was reported that at 10:00 a convoy of buses was being driven
towards the Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman road. The convoy stopped in the
vicinity of the Burger Land overpass and then continued towards Manama.
This “slowdown” convoy was composed of over 200 buses.
346. This day also witnessed a demonstration by a group of journalists and
other persons working in the media. This protest began at the King Faisal
Highway and then headed to the GCC Roundabout, where demonstrators
expressed their support for and solidarity with the demonstrators at the
roundabout, and rejected government attempts to restrict and control coverage
of the events in Bahrain. The participants in this protest also denounced any
form of harassment or arrest of journalists. Some of the protesting journalists
criticised the performance of Bahraini television, which they considered
biased and unprofessional.
347. The President of the Council of Representatives, Mr Khalifa Al-
Dahrani, invited Al Wefaq members of the Council to attend a meeting to
discuss the question of their resignations. Al Wefaq declined the invitation.
348. Later that day, senior Al Wefaq members briefed Mr Zayed Al-
Zayani, the representative of HRH the Crown Prince, on discussions that had
taken place among the society’s leadership. A senior Shia cleric also attended
the meeting. The Al Wefaq leaders, who included Secretary General Sheikh
Ali Salman, reported that they had agreed upon the following demands: (i)
that the Constitution be rewritten by a specially elected committee; (ii) that
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