Many human rights reports were published about the Bahraini uprising of 2011, a campaign of protests, and civil disobedience in the

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Persis, Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a Mediterranean sea (oceanography), me ...

state of

Bahrain Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an ...

that is considered part of the revolutionary wave of protests dubbed the

Arab Spring The Arab Spring ( ar, الربيع العربي) was a series of Nonviolent resistance, anti-government protests, Rebellion, uprisings and Insurgency, armed rebellions that spread across much of the Arab world in the early 2010s. It began in T ...

. At least 14 human rights reports were issued by 18 different parties:

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and sup ...

International Crisis Group The International Crisis Group (ICG; also known as the Crisis Group) is a transnational non-profit, non-governmental organisation founded in 1995. It is a think tank, used by policymakers and academics, performing research and analysis on global ...

, Doctors Without Borders, Physicians for Human Rights, Human Rights First, Independent Irish figures,

Human Rights Watch Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization, headquartered in New York City, that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. The group pressures governments, policy makers, companies, and individual human r ...

, Human Rights Without Frontiers,

Bahrain Centre for Human Rights The Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR; ar, مركز البحرين لحقوق الإنسان) was a Bahraini non-profit non-governmental organisation which works to promote human rights in Bahrain,

, Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights, Bahrain Human Rights Society,

Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry The Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI), also known locally in Bahrain as the Bassiouni Commission, was established by the King of Bahrain on 29 June 2011''Bahrain News Agency''" HM King Hamad Sets up Royal Independent Investigation co ...

, Arabic Network for Human Rights Information,

Front Line Defenders Front Line Defenders, or The International Foundation for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, is an Irish-based human rights organisation founded in Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Ireland in 2001 to protect those who work non-violently to uph ...

, Gulf Centre for Human Rights,

Index on Censorship Index on Censorship is an organization campaigning for freedom of expression, which produces a quarterly magazine of the same name from London. It is directed by the non-profit-making Writers and Scholars International, Ltd (WSI) in association w ...

International Media Support International Media Support (IMS) is an international NGO located in Copenhagen, Denmark, working to support local media in countries affected by armed conflict, human insecurity and political transition. It works in 41 countries to improve profes ...

and the Writers in Prison Committee (WiPC) of PEN International.

Background

As part of a string of protests that occurred across the Arab World following the self-immolation and eventual death of Mohammed Bouazizi in

Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...

, the mostly

Shia Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest Islamic schools and branches, branch of Islam. It holds that the Prophets and messengers in Islam, Islamic prophet Muhammad in Islam, Muhammad designated Ali, ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his S ...

population of Bahrain took to the streets demanding greater freedoms. The move was seen as potentially destabilising to the

Sunni Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagr ...

-led regime of Bahrain, following which a brutal government crackdown led to widespread suppressions of the Shia people across many sectors, Cockburn, Patrick (18 March 2011).
"The Footage That Reveals the Brutal Truth About Bahrain's Crackdown – Seven Protest Leaders Arrested as Video Clip Highlights Regime's Ruthless Grip on Power"
''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

''. Retrieved 20 September 2011. especially the medical field after the invasion of Bahrain by

Gulf Cooperation Council The Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf ( ar, مجلس التعاون لدول العربية الخليج ), also known as the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC; ar, مجلس التعاون الخليجي), is a regional, interg ...

soldiers led by Saudi Arabia. The Bahraini government also hired Pakistani

mercenaries A mercenary, sometimes also known as a soldier of fortune or hired gun, is a private individual, particularly a soldier, that joins a military conflict for personal profit, is otherwise an outsider to the conflict, and is not a member of any o ...

to maintain security against the protesters, however, lesser intermittent protests continued.

Amnesty International

After identifying some of the U.S. and French-made ammunition found in the aftermath of the raid on Pearl Roundabout on 17 February,

urged at least 10 countries who supply weapons to Bahrain, including Germany, France, Britain and the United States, to

International Crisis Group

The Bahrain Revolt

"Popular protests in North Africa and the Middle East (III): The Bahrain Revolt" is a 28-page report published on 6 April 2011 by the

. According to the group, the report "urges immediate third-party facilitation of a dialogue between the regime and the opposition with a view toward genuine political reform, defusing sectarian tensions and preventing further regionalisation of the unrest." The report, the third in an ongoing series that analyses the wave of popular protests across North Africa and the Middle East, describes the background and course of the current revolt, as well as key Bahrain players, their interests and positions.

Bahrain's Rocky Road to Reform

"Popular Protest in North Africa and the Middle East (VIII): Bahrain's Rocky Road to Reform" is a 36-page report published on 28 July 2011 by the

. The group says the report "examines the situation in the island kingdom five months after the outbreak of the mass protest, which was followed by brutal government repression."

Doctors Without Borders

"Health Services Paralyzed: Bahrain's Military Crackdown on Patients" is a 6-page report by Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières) published on 7 April 2011. The fear is not unfounded. Wounds were used to identify demonstrators, restricted access to health care is being used to deter people from protesting, and those who dare to seek treatment in health facilities were being arrested. Doctors Without Borders quotes their medical coordinator: "Wounds, especially those inflicted by distinctive police and military gunfire, are used to identify people for arrest, and the denial of medical care is being used by Bahraini authorities to deter people from protesting ... Health facilities are used as bait to identify and arrest those who dare seek treatment."

Physicians for Human Rights

"Do No Harm" is a 42-page report published by Physicians for Human Rights in April 2011 that "documents and decries systematic human rights abuses in Bahrain during the February and March 2011

political unrest Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that studies ...

, and the persecution of doctors, nurses, medics, ambulance drivers, and other health workers based on their knowledge of those abuses."

Reception

Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse (AFP) is a French international news agency headquartered in Paris, France. Founded in 1835 as Havas, it is the world's oldest news agency. AFP has regional headquarters in Nicosia, Montevideo, Hong Kong and Washington, D.C ...

said that the report has blasted and slammed 'systematic attacks' on medical staff in Bahrain. The report was featured on several major news outlets including the Associated Press, AFP, BBC, CNN, the Independent, New York Times, and Washington Post.

Human Rights First

Speaking Softly

"Bahrain: Speaking Softly" is a 12-page report published by Human Rights First on 17 May 2011 following a one-week fact-finding mission to Bahrain. In this report, Human Rights First says it "publishes first-hand testimonies of the Bahraini government's crackdown from the perspectives of human rights defenders currently in Bahrain, and provides recommendations for the U.S. and Bahraini governments to end human rights abuses."

A Tortuous Process

"Bahrain: A Tortuous Process" is 15-page report published by Human Rights First on 14 July 2011 that documents how the Bahraini government continues to intimidate, torture, and detain human rights defenders, and shoot at civilians."

No More Excuses

"No More Excuses – Time for Radical Change" is a 16-page report published by Human Rights First on 12 December 2011 which documents "thousands of illegal arrests, widespread torture in detention, forced confessions and deaths in custody." According to the group, "the report reveals that around 160 policemen continue to face charges for refusing to join in the violent government crackdown on protesters and features details from the latest hearing for 20 medics currently facing prosecution for treating injured protestors."

The Gathering Storm

"Bahrain: The Gathering Storm" is a 9-page report published by Human Rights First on 6 February 2012 which provides "evidence of ongoing abuse ncludinga copy of government orders for medical workers to report all injuries to authorities or face prosecution, and first-person accounts from members of the Bahraini police force who were arrested and abused because they refused to participate in the Kingdom's brutal crackdown."

Irish Fact Finding Delegation

The Irish fact finding delegation was a two-day fact-finding mission composed of a group of Irish doctors, politicians and human rights representatives led by orthopaedic surgeon Damien McCormack who visited Bahrain in mid July 2011 to determine the condition and secure the release of more than a dozen doctors and medical staff detained on anti-government charges during the

2011-2012 Bahraini uprising The 2011 Bahraini uprising was a series of anti-government protests in Bahrain led by the Shia-dominant and some Sunni minority Bahraini opposition from 2011 until 2014. The protests were inspired by the unrest of the 2011 Arab Spring and prot ...

. According to Mr Andrew Anderson, of

Front Line A front line (alternatively front-line or frontline) in military terminology is the position(s) closest to the area of conflict of an armed force's personnel and equipment, usually referring to land forces. When a front (an intentional or uninte ...

the primary purpose of the trip was to visit the families of those in custody to offer support and to gather information about alleged mistreatment of the detainees. Irish Delegation meet with Nabeel Rajab at his home

Irish Delegation meet with Nabeel Rajab at his home

The delegation requested meetings with senior Bahraini officials, including Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. Members included: *Professor Damien McCormack *Senator

Averil Power Averil Power (born 26 July 1978) is an Irish former politician who served as a Senator for the Industrial and Commercial Panel from 2011 to 2016. She first held office as a member of Fianna Fáil, but left the party in 2015 and sat in the Seanad ...

* Marian Harkin, MEP * David Andrews *Professor Eoin O'Brien *Andrew Anderson

Human Rights Watch

"Targets of Retribution" is a 54-page report issued by

on July 18, 2011 that "documents serious government abuses, starting in mid-February 2011 ... includ ngattacks on health care providers; denial of medical access to protesters injured by security forces; the siege of hospitals and health centers; and the detention, ill-treatment, torture, and prosecution of medics and patients with protest-related injuries.

Human Rights Without Frontiers

"Which Future for Bahrain? Preliminary report of a fact-finding mission in Bahrain" is a 41-report published by Human Rights Without Frontiers on 28 October 2011. The mission aimed to study the functioning of the

and the "National Dialogue" process and judge the short-term prospects of reform and democratisation in Bahrain, and to see if European Union institutions were having an impact on the processes.

Local non-governmental organisations

"The Human Price of Freedom and Justice" is a joint report by a group of Bahrain's independent human rights NGOs "presenting the main key findings from the ongoing effort to document violations occurring in the state of Bahrain in 2011."

Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry

The

(BICI), also known locally in Bahrain as the "Bassiouni Commission", was established by the King of Bahrain on 29 June 2011''Bahrain News Agency''
" HM King Hamad Sets up Royal Independent Investigation commission "
''Bahrain News Agency'', 29 June 2011 tasked with looking into the incidents that occurred during the period of unrest in Bahrain in February and March 2011 and the consequences of these events.

International rights groups

"Justice Denied in Bahrain" is a 27-page report published by six international rights groups on 23 January 2012.

References

External links

: Bloodied but Unbowed: Unwarranted State Violence against Bahraini Protesters
EnglishSpanishFrenchArabic
*

Targets of Retribution: Attacks against Medics, Injured Protesters, and Health Facilities
* Human Rights Without Frontiers
Which Future for Bahrain? Preliminary report of a fact-finding mission in Bahrain (23-28 October 2011)
*

Freedom House Freedom House is a non-profit, majority U.S. government funded organization in Washington, D.C., that conducts research and advocacy on democracy, political freedom, and human rights. Freedom House was founded in October 1941, and Wendell Wil ...

Killing the Messenger: Bahrain's Brutal Crackdown
* Local rights groups
Bahrain: The Human Price of Freedom and Justice
* BICI
Report of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry
* International rights groups
Justice Denied in Bahrain
{{DEFAULTSORT:Human rights reports on Bahraini uprising (2011-present) Bahraini uprising of 2011