Report of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry

Report of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry
Sunnis. Many of the protesters carried Bahraini flags and posters avowing
their loyalty to Bahrain. A few of the protesters waved one dinar notes as a
reference to the allegations that the Financial Harbour land was acquired by
the Prime Minister for one dinar.
396. The other notable events of the day were isolated incidents of
violence and disruption of the daily lives of some individuals. For example, at
11:30 a report was filed of an assault on a female owner of a store in the Naim
shopping centre. Later that evening, seven unidentified individuals assaulted
and robbed an Arab expatriate resident of Bahrain in the Burhama district of
Manama. Meanwhile, the ongoing demonstrations and the human chain
caused traffic disruptions in various parts of the capital.
397. At the political level, a meeting was held between representatives of
HRH the Crown Prince and the Secretary General of Al Wefaq, Sheikh Ali
Salman. According to representatives of HRH the Crown Prince, Sheikh
Salman stated that the only possible solution at that stage was to accept the
demands of the opposition. In particular, he put forward the following
demands: the abrogation of the current Constitution; the drafting of a new
constitution by an elected Constituent Assembly; that the new government be
entirely elected; that the entire prerogatives of parliament be vested in the
elected chamber; and that all government officials be held accountable.
Sunday, 6 March 2011
398. School students again participated in demonstrations that took place
during the day, albeit in lower numbers than the previous week. Starting in
the early morning hours, groups of students left their schools and marched
either in their neighbourhoods or at the GCC Roundabout.
399. The most significant protest of the day was organised at the
Gudaibiya Palace, where the weekly cabinet meeting was due to be held.
Demonstrators started gathering at 08:30 and continued to increase until, by
11:30, the number of participants exceeded 10,000. The focus of the
demonstration, like the protest of Friday 4 March, was the demand that the
Prime Minister and entire cabinet should resign. Protesters also rejected
offers to undertake a political dialogue with the GoB before the resignation of
the cabinet. Some participants expressed discontent with the fact that the
Prime Minister had held that office for over 40 years, and demanded that the
GoB be democratically elected by the people.
400. During the demonstration, the Al Wefaq Secretary General, Sheikh
Ali Salman, gave a short address in which he read Surat Alfateha (a Sura from
the Holy Quran) for all those martyrs who had lost their lives for the cause of
liberty in the Arab world, including in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Yemen and
Bahrain. Sheikh Ali Salman then stated the following:
a. The problem in Bahrain is of a political nature, and the
purpose of today’s demonstration is to express the desire that
the government be freely elected by the people, and that no
government should remain in power for 40 years.
112