Report of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry

Report of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry
464. At 01:00 the next day, HRH the Crown Prince agreed to have the
MoU presented to Sheikh Issa Qassim later in the morning for approval so that
Al Wefaq could begin the dialogue.
Sunday, 13 March 2011
465. This day was an important turning point in the sequence of events in
Bahrain. The general level of security and law and order deteriorated
significantly throughout the country as more cases of assault against
individuals and against private and public property and incidents of sectarian
clashes were reported. There were also confrontations between security forces
and demonstrators camped at the Bahrain Financial Harbour who, early in the
day, had fully obstructed traffic on the King Faisal Highway. The University
of Bahrain witnessed its most violent clashes, which left many people injured
and led to the suspension of classes.
466. From the early hours of the day, residents of various neighbourhoods
reported that groups of unidentified individuals carrying knives, swords and
wooden planks were roaming the streets and threatening passers-by, attacking
vehicles and destroying public property. In A’Ali, for example, masked
individuals were seen at 02:00 assaulting and verbally abusing persons in the
vicinity of Roads 36 and 38. Similarly, groups of individuals were reported to
have blocked Road 2 adjacent to the Dana Shopping Centre. Later that
morning, individuals carrying swords and sticks were seen walking towards
Roundabout 22 in Dar Kulaib where they were recorded to have damaged
public property and private vehicles. In Hamad Town, large gatherings of
unidentified individuals brandishing swords, knives and other sharp objects
blocked the Al-Zallaq Road. At 17:30, a number of persons carrying wooden
planks were seen proceeding down Kuwait Road toward Om Al-Hasm where
they obstructed traffic and verbally insulted passers-by. That night, a group of
individuals was attacked by an unidentified person using a Molotov cocktail in
Busaiteen.
467. Later in the evening, unidentified persons were reported to have
attacked shops in a number of areas, including Ma’atam Bin Saloum, Sa’sa’a
Road and Sheikh Abdulla Street in Manama. Other stores were either
vandalised or forced to close in the districts of Al-Baseeten and Jad Ali. By
17:30, most shops and commercial establishments had been closed in Hamad
Town.
468. The occurrence of these and other incidents throughout the day, and
the spread of information about the presence of armed gangs and groups of
vandals in many areas of Bahrain, caused a wave of fear among families for
their safety and security. This prompted residents of various neighbourhoods
and villages to organise “popular committees” to protect their lives and
property. For example, in Safara groups of individuals gathered in the vicinity
of the National Guard facility in the area to deter against attacks by
individuals and vandals. Similarly, residents of Al-Muharraq set up a
roadblock across the Sheikh Issa and Sheikh Hamad Bridges to stop
unidentified individuals from entering the area. Starting at 14:00, residents of
Al-Riffa gathered in the Al-Mo’askar Street and the Al-Sa’aa Roundabout to
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