His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa on Wednesday announced to set up a fact finding mission to look into the unfortunate events of February and March by including the broad spectrum of organizations including the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNCHR).
Giving the rationale behind the move, HM in the speech said that the probe body would look into the details of unfortunate incidents including the exercising the authority by the government during the challenging times.
“But let us make clear to anyone who holds any authority in the name of our government or on any other side, that we have not wavered in our commitment to the principles of human rights, and that the violation of those principles will not be tolerated. Such behavior does not help us, it hurts us all,” HM said.
“We have therefore decided, after broad consultations with many parties including the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, to appoint an independent fact-finding Commission into the events of February and March. It will be comprised of eminent persons with extensive expertise in international human rights law, who has no role in our government, nor in our political sphere. They have been chosen because of their personal stature and international achievements.”
“The mandate of this Commission has been established after consultation with its members, and will be fulfilled without any interference of any kind. It will submit its report to us to take the necessary action. In this regard, we have issued a Royal Order setting out the members of the Commission and its terms of reference, emphasizing that all Ministers are to support the work of the Commission, and to cooperate without reservation in its work, so that its findings will reveal the truth and assist us in putting events of the past behind us, as we move towards a brighter future of unity and cohesion.”