Report of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry

Report of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry
b. The Coalition will strive to establish the republic using
peaceful means, including civil disobedience and peaceful
resistance.
c. The Coalition will gradually escalate its pressure on the GoB
using peaceful means. The measures undertaken will be
decided and executed in a decentralised manner, which has
proven to be more successful than the centralised control of
the protests.
d. The royal regime has failed to quell the revolution forcefully,
and is now trying to undermine it by political manoeuvres and
incitement to sectarianism.
e. The final decision on whether to establish the republic is up to
the people of Bahrain, and the Coalition is willing to
relinquish this demand if the people so prefer. The Coalition
warns, however, that another opportunity to establish a
democratic republic in Bahrain might not arise, and a failure
to remove the monarchy might lead to very negative
consequences. The Coalition also calls for continued
coordination among the opposition parties and forces.
414. In a subsequent press interview, Mr Almeshaima clarified that one of
the reasons that had compelled the coalition to issue this statement and to
openly call for the establishment of a republic was that the popular demand to
remove the regime had given rise to different interpretations. Some, he said,
understood this as meaning the removal of the cabinet, while others
interpreted it as meaning the establishment of a constitutional monarchy. For
the coalition, however, the removal of the regime meant establishing a
republic. He also noted that the call to establish a republic did not necessarily
contradict the more moderate demands advanced by other opposition parties,
like Al Wefaq. Mr Almeshaima emphasised that he had no faith in the
possibility of dialogue with a regime that, in his view, was inciting
sectarianism and detaining individuals. Mr Almeshaima also denied any
relations between the coalition and Iran, and affirmed that the coalition’s
purpose was to establish a democratic republic not a theocracy.
415. That day, the GCC Council of Foreign Ministers convened in the
United Arab Emirates to discuss the unfolding situation in Bahrain. The GCC
member States praised HM King Hamad for authorising HRH the Crown
Prince to initiate a dialogue with the opposition, which represented an
opportunity to undertake reforms that would satisfy the needs of the Bahraini
people in accordance with the National Action Charter of 2001. The Foreign
Ministers also reaffirmed that they would support Bahrain politically and
economically, and pledged to defend it, as the security of the GCC member
States was indivisible.
Tuesday, 8 March 2011
416. Demonstrations continued throughout the day at both the GCC
Roundabout and the Bahrain Financial Harbour. Other smaller
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