Bahrain Commission of Inquiry

THE Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry was established on June 29 by Royal Order.
 
To ensure its independence the five eminent individuals were appointed to act as commissioners. Professor M. Cherif Bassiouni, holding both Egyptian and American nationality, has been named the chairman of the Commission. The other four commissioners joining Sir Nigel are Judge Philippe Kirsch of Canada and Belgium, Dr Mahnoush Arsanjani of Iran and Dr Badria Al Awadhi of Kuwait.

The terms of reference set out in the Royal Order contain a number of features that will contribute to the Commission’s integrity and independence, including the following:

• The Commission is wholly independent from the Bahraini government and will be responsible for hiring its own staff and administering its own budget.
• The Commission has been afforded full access to government agencies, officials and files.
• The Commission has been granted the government’s co-operation in giving the Commission access to all places and people that the Commission deems appropriate.
• The Commission has the ability to meet with witnesses in secret and to adopt protective measures for those witnesses.
• The Commission has the authority to decide on all matters concerning the scope of its work and its methods of operation.
• The Government has undertaken to ensure that no person or member of that person’s family who co-operates with the Commission will be punished, penalised, harassed or embarrassed in any way.
• The Commission has been granted the ability to make any recommendations that it sees fit
• The Commission’s final report will be made public in its entirety.