Manama: An international commission set up to look into alleged human rights abuses in Bahrain in February and March and their consequences said that it would no longer accept phone calls to set up appointments with its investigators.
The Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI) said that it was expecting to meet more than 2000 potential victims and witnesses of the unrest by September 30, the final date for the interviews.
However, the BICI said that it would be "looking forward to receiving further written complaints submitted by email in continuation of its mandate and interest in hearing all parties".
According to the commission headed by M. Cherif Bessioumi, the BICI team has exerted their utmost efforts in the collection of the maximum amount of complaints possible and in the record of human rights violations.
As a result, the BICI would like to remind respondents to cooperate with the commission and fulfill the requirements outlined for complaints to be accepted in order to allow the BICI to complete its work in the best manner possible. The commission is expected to deliver its report on October 30.
Professor M. Cherif Bassiouni, a high-profile authority on international criminal, human rights and humanitarian law, has held several United Nations positions that included the Chair for the Drafting Committee at the Diplomatic Conference on the Establishment of an International Criminal Court and the Chair for the Drafting Committee on the 1985 United Nations Basic Principles of Justice for Victims of Crime and Abuse of Powers.
Bassiouni's experience in working on commissions of inquiry included chairing recently the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry for Libya (2011). He was also involved in commissions investigating the human rights situation in Afghanistan between 2004 and 2006 and violations of international humanitarian law in the Former Yugoslavia in 1993.
Other members of the commission are Judge Philippe Kirsch Q.C., Professor Sir Nigel Simon Rodley KBE, Dr. Mahnhoush H. Arsanjani and Dr Badria A. Al-Awadhi.
