Having now read the 498-page report of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry, it is fair to say that there is little in it that casts the government in a good light. Fears that the inquiry would be a whitewash were clearly unfounded, as the report is anything but complimentary. It would be wise for Formula 1 people to read the details before deciding the rights and wrongs of holding a Grand Prix there in five months from now.

The commission was established in July by King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa to investigate and report on the events that occurred in Bahrain in February and March, and the consequences of these events. The commission was asked to discover if there had been violations of international human rights norms and asked to give details of acts of violence that occurred including the nature of the acts, how they occurred, who the actors were and what consequences there were, in particular at the Salmaniya Hospital and the Pearl Roundabout. It was also asked to look into police brutality and alleged violence by protestors against police and others, including foreigners, and to look into the circumstances and appropriateness of arrests and detentions. In addition it was tasked with examining allegations of disappearances or torture; ascertain if there was any media harassment against participants in demonstrations and public protests; look into any unlawful demolition of religious structures and discover if there was any clear foreign involvement in the events.

The Commission consisted of five members: chairman Professor M. Cherif Bassiouni; Judge Philippe Kirsch QC (Belgium/Canada); Professor Sir Nigel Rodley (UK); Dr Mahnoush Arsanjani (Iran); and Dr Badria Al Awadhi (Kuwait). It was granted the same privileges and immunities as United Nations experts. Its staff consisted of 51 people, including 12 investigators, 12 assistants, five administrators, four administrative assistants and 18 technical and scientific consultants. This group looked at 2,639 written complaints, 5,188 statements made either in person on electronically and statements from 283 organisations.

“The existence of inter-sectarian tension in Bahrain is undeniable,” the report concluded, “but a dichotomous image of Bahraini society is both inaccurate and incomplete. Islam is not the only faith practised in Bahrain. Rather, Bahrain is notable for having both Christian and Jewish communities that have lived in the country for many years. Residents of Bahrain also adhere to various other faiths, including Hinduism and Sikhism, and they are all allowed to practise their religions freely.

“Within each community there are multiple views on religious, theological, political, economic and social questions. Even among those who espouse similar positions, there are divergences as to the tools and policies appropriate to attaining their objectives.

“Claims of sectarian discrimination and favouritism are a common accusation levied by each group against the other within the country. Furthermore, perceptions of social reality and narratives of political events in Bahrain are often laden with sectarian intonations and shaped by historical grievances. Yet Bahraini society is not divided into two monolithic sects. Within the Shia and Sunni communities, there exists a diversity of religious views and political opinions. Broad generalisations about the positions or allegiances of either sect misrepresent the social reality of Bahrain.”

The report examined in great detail the sequence of events that took place. It is worth noting that in addition to all the violence against the protesters that has been widely reported, the commission discovered the following details about the raid on the Pearl Roundabout: “forty-seven police were wounded, some severely, during the confrontations. Post-operation searches of the roundabout found four pistols and bullets as well as large quantities of knives, daggers, swords and other sharp objects in the area. While there were no reports of police sustaining gunshot wounds, many were injured by sharp objects similar to those found at roundabout. Some police officers sustained wounds when protestors attempted to run them over with their vehicles”. So clearly the protesters were not entirely peaceful.

The report went on to reveal that the Bahrain International Circuit chairman Zayed Al-Zayani played a key role in the drama when he met representatives of the opposition in a bid to calm the situation on several occasions.

Much international condemnation has come because of treatment of medical staff at the Salmaniya Medical Complex. While much of this has been widely reported it is worth noting that the commission reported that it received “video footage showing protesters pouring blood from blood bags onto their clothes” in order to appear wounded for TV cameras. The doctors denied providing the blood.

The Commission concluded that there was “there is evidence supporting” the claims that the medical staff intentionally spread false rumours and information about the events at SMC, but that this was with respect to “some, but not all, of the medical personnel.”

The Commission said that there was “no evidence to support the allegation that medical personnel misappropriated medical supplies” and ruled that allegations that medical personnel assisted the demonstrators by supplying them with weapons to be unfounded. The commission also said that “the involvement of some doctors and medical personnel in various political activities on and around the SMC premises was clearly difficult to reconcile with the full exercise of their medical responsibilities and highly disruptive to the optimum operation of an important medical facility in a time of crisis”, but went on to say that “security services executed unlawful arrests on SMC premises, and attacked and mistreated some individuals, including medical personnel”.

The commission listed a total of 46 deaths, and examined each in detail. Thirteen were civilians killed by the security forces. Eight deaths could not be explained and five deaths were alleged to have been as the result of torture. Four expatriate workers were killed, two of these killings were attributed to being attacked by mobs. Four police officers and a member of the Bahrain Defence Force (BDF) were also killed. Three of these deaths were attributed to the protesters. The commission reported that investigations into civilian deaths were ongoing in a number of these killings with three resulting in criminal prosecutions against those responsible. The commission concluded that “in general the BDF did not use excessive force” and did not have a policy of “the arbitrary deprivation of life” and “on the whole, it complied with the rules of engagement by using minimal force in dealing with civilians”. However it also concluded that the security forces in “many situations violated the principles of necessity and proportionality”. The Commission said that the Military Attorney General‘s investigations were not effective, did not satisfy international standards and consequently they were not in compliance with international law. It proposed that the government “should conduct effective investigations into all the deaths that have been attributed to the security forces. These investigations should be capable of leading to the prosecution of those implicated, both directly and at all levels of responsibility, if the conclusion is that there was a breach of the law”.

When it came to arrests during and after the protests the commission concluded that “a substantial number of the arrests” violated international human rights law and Bahrain law and that treatment of persons in custody was poor with many accusations of physical and verbal abuse and sectarian insults, prisoners hearing the shouts of other detainees being tortured, which created a climate of fear, threats of rape or death and allegations of sexual abuse of detainees at various locations. The accusations also included the refusal of access to toilet facilities and being forced to sign confessions. The commission even went into specific torture techniques used. The conclusion was that the evidence indicated “clear patterns of behaviour by certain government agencies” and called for an independent investigation. It also called for all persons charged with offences involving political expression, not consisting of advocacy of violence, have their convictions reviewed and sentences commuted or charges dropped. The body also investigated the demolition of places of worship and concluded that this did occur and that “various government officials, having publicly condemned the demonstrations, created an environment whereby individuals participating in demonstrations and strikes could face retaliation for their involvement by employers” and said that the government should look into instances where people lost their jobs as a result of their involvement in protests. In addition it called for students who had been expelled from the university to be reinstated.

The commission also found that some expatriates, in particular South Asian workers, were the targets of attacks by mobs and called on the government to develop educational programmes at the primary, secondary and university levels to promote religious, political and other forms of tolerance, as well as promote human rights and the rule of law. There were similar recommendations after the commission concluded that there was “sufficient evidence to support the finding that Sunnis were targeted by some groups of demonstrators, either because they professed loyalty to the regime or on the basis of their sect”.

The commission did not find any evidence of media incitement to violence but said that it was clear that the media in Bahrain is “biased towards the government. Six of the seven daily newspapers are pro-government and the broadcasting service is state-controlled” and it called for relaxation of the laws of censorship. The Commission said that there was no evidence that suggested “a discernible link between specific incidents that occurred in Bahrain during February/March 2011 and the Islamic Republic of Iran”.

All things considered the government of Bahrain does not come out of the report well. Much work needs to be done to heal the wounds created and there continues to be regular trouble on the streets.

Formula 1 must now decide whether it wishes to get involved in all of this, or wait until things have improved and not risk putting itself into the middle of a political mess.