Report of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry

Chapter IV — Narrative of Events of February and March 2011
neighbourhood, after which he was taken to a number of places, including
Jidhafs and Ibn Nafees. His family retrieved his body the next day from the
SMC morgue. 258
547. At around 19:15, Mr Stephen Abraham, an Indian citizen, who
worked as a guard at the Awal Dairy Factory in the Al Budaiya district, was
fatally shot. Investigations subsequently revealed that he was shot in the
lower chest by a bullet that was identical to that used by a BDF unit stationed
in the area. 259
548. At around 21:00, two BDF armoured vehicles on which .50 Browning
machine guns were mounted were manning two checkpoints located above
and below an overpass in the vicinity of the Burgerland restaurant in the Al
Budaiya district. When an SUV began approaching the checkpoint, the BDF
unit used a megaphone to demand that the vehicle stop, and when it did not
respond they used blinkers on their armoured vehicle to stop the advancing
SUV. When this failed, the unit fired at the wheels of the advancing vehicle,
bringing it to a halt. The passengers of the vehicle sustained light injuries.
The BDF personnel at the scene noticed that another vehicle facing the
opposite direction had stopped on the other side of the road. The unit
approached it and found an injured woman in the driver’s seat who had
sustained severe injuries to the head. The victim, Mrs Baheya Abdelrasoul
Al-Arady, was pronounced dead at BDF Hospital later that night. 260
549. Reports indicated that, later in the evening, unidentified persons were
painting (X) marks on the entrances of residences of BDF personnel. This
was presumed to be a threat that the homes of these servicemen would be
attacked by vandals.
550. Bahraini Minister of Housing, Mr Majeed Al-Alawi, announced on
this day that he would be boycotting the GoB in light of the way it had
handled recent events.
551. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran summoned the Ambassador
of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Bahraini Chargé d’Affaires to present
a formal protest against the deployment of the GCC-JSF in Bahrain. In
addition, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran discussed the unfolding
situation in Bahrain with the UN Secretary General, and called on the UN to
take an active role regarding these developments.
Thursday, 17 March 2011
552. Starting on this day, the GoB began arresting many of the opposition
figures who had led demonstrations during the past weeks. In the early hours
of the day, the first group of these political and religious leaders was arrested
pursuant to arrest warrants issued either by the BDF Commander-in-Chief or
the Military Prosecutor General. Those arrested included Mr Hassan
Almeshaima, Mr Ibrahim Sherif, Dr Abduljalil AlSankis, Mr Abdulwahab
258 See Chapter VI, Section A.
259 See Chapter VI, Section A.
260 See Chapter VI, Section A.
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