Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry Established

An independent Commission of Inquiry has been established on 29 June 2011 in the Kingdom of Bahrain pursuant to Royal Order No. 28 by His Majesty, King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. The Commission has been tasked with investigating and reporting on the events that took place in Bahrain in February and March 2011, and the consequences of the aforementioned events.

To ensure the independence of the Commission of Inquiry, the Royal Order has appointed five, eminent, non-Bahraini individuals who have expertise in the fields of international law and international human rights law to act as commissioners. Professor M. Cherif Bassiouni, holding both Egyptian and American nationalities, has been named the Chair of the Commission. The other four commissioners are: Judge Phillipe Kirsch of Canada and Belgium, Professor Sir Nigel Simon Rodley KBE of the United Kingdom, Dr. Mahnoush Arsanjani of Iran, and Dr. Badria Al-Awadhi of Kuwait.