Report of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry

Report of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry
workers, inevitably led to a sense of complete loss of security in the country.
Residents in many neighbourhoods, including those of mixed composition and
those having either Shia or Sunni majorities, were compelled to fend for
themselves and organise committees to maintain security. This led Bahrainis
and foreign residents to feel that the GoB was no longer capable of ensuring
their safety and that Bahrain was on the verge of a total breakdown of law and
order.
499. Reports from the GCC Roundabout and its immediate vicinity
indicated that certain individuals were fortifying the barricades placed to
block traffic on the main thoroughfares of the area and on the roads leading to
the roundabout. Palm trees, lamp posts, plastic barriers, rubble, rocks and
mounds of sand from nearby construction sites were placed across the King
Faisal Highway and the Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman Road to obstruct traffic.
In some areas, trenches were also dug to prevent vehicles from entering the
area. Roadblocks were also reported in the vicinity of the premises of the
Council of Ministers and the nearby streets. Furthermore, reports suggested
that certain individuals were using electrical wiring to create booby-traps on
the overpass adjacent to the GCC Roundabout and in the vicinity of the
Bahrain Financial Harbour. The total number of protesters reported to have
been at the GCC Roundabout during the day exceeded 10,000.
500. At 17:30, Gulf Air announced that it was suspending its flights to Iran
and Iraq. No reasons were given publicly for this decision.
501. The GCC Jazeera Shield Forces (GCC-JSF) arrived in Bahrain that
evening. The first formations to enter Bahrain were units from the Saudi
Arabian Royal Guard, which crossed into Bahrain from the King Fahd
Causeway at 18:20. More units from the United Arab Emirates and the State
of Qatar arrived in the following days. The GCC-JSF was ordered to assist
Bahraini units in the protection of vital installations and sites in various parts
of the country, particularly the oil fields in the south. These forces were also
instructed to be prepared to assist in the defence of Bahrain against any
foreign intervention. Later in the week, naval formations from the State of
Kuwait executed reconnaissance and patrolling missions off the coast of
Bahrain.
502. On learning of the arrival of the GCC-JSF, the former First Deputy
President of the Council of Representatives and Al Wefaq member Mr Khalil
Al-Marzouq issued a statement expressing the view that the use of GCC
forces to “confront popular demands was illegitimate and devoid of legal
bases.” The statement added that the invitation extended to foreign forces was
“only explainable as a sign that the governing authority of Bahrain considers
itself to have lost all legitimacy and to be unrecognised to an extent that it was
unable to address the internal situation, which compelled it to request Gulf
assistance.”
503. Meanwhile, it was reported that during a meeting with the Gathering
for National Unity, the Al Wefaq Secretary General, Sheikh Ali Salman,
reacted to the news by saying that he would request Iranian assistance. Later
in the day, Sheikh Ali Salman issued a press release affirming that the
134