Manama: An international commission set up by King Hamad Bin Eisa Al Khalifa to look into alleged cases of human rights abuses on Saturday said that it would not hold meetings with any group without appointments.
"The Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI) would like to reiterate that, contrary to rumours across social media channels including Twitter, it is no longer accepting walk-ins or spontaneous meetings with groups sent by any organisation or company," the commission said.
"As an example, despite online messages in circulation, the BICI is not meeting with University of Bahrain students on Sunday and there has been no such invitation."
The commission this month shut down its office in Adliya after it was stormed by protesters who reportedly abused the staff amid claims that the panel was biased in favour of the government.
The commission denied the charges, and pledged not to surrender to pressure tactics while it continued its investigation. However, it said that it would not accept to see anyone who did not have an appointment.
"All complaints should be submitted by email. Forms are available online at our website where they can be downloaded according to the different categories listed," the commission said.
The deadline for receiving complaints is September 30, the five-member commission said on Friday.
Its report will be published on October 30.
On two occasions, the panel issued statements denying reports that its chairman or one of its members had resigned.
