Commissioners to meet with members of public

On 24th July 2011 the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI) will hold a public forum to be followed by a press conference at the Bahrain National Museum.

Headed by Prof M. Cherif Bassiouni, the BICI Commissioners will meet with members of Bahrain’s different civic and political associations in a public forum in which invited parties will be encouraged to voice their concerns. This will be the first of such public events to be held in the coming months and will be attended by the Commissioners, appointed by the Chairman, Prof Bassiouni. The other four Commissioners are Judge Philippe 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.

“I’m pleased to be back in Bahrain alongside a carefully-selected team and am looking forward to the prospect of starting our investigations.” said Prof Bassiouni. “The public forum will seek to represent as many sectors of society as possible and will be the first of similar initiatives… We cannot hear all sides and all perspectives at once, but we will certainly try to do so from now till October,” he continued.

The BICI website will also be launched on 24th July, enabling the public to easily access information about the commission, the dates for hearings and submission details.