الرئيسية
A Bahraini woman walks down a narrow street in the
western Shiite village of Malkiya, Bahrain, on Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2011,
painted and repainted with anti-government graffiti and hung with
religious banners for the Islamic month of Muharram, a time of Shiite
mourning for Imam Hussein, grandson of Islam's founding prophet Mohamed.
(AP Photo/Hasan Jamali)
By BARBARA SURK and BRIAN MURPHY, AP
MANAMA, Bahrain (AP) — In a 500-page report detailing
widespread abuses in Bahrain's crackdowns, it's a brief section on Iran
that has brought the strongest pushback Thursday in the Gulf kingdom —
authorities clinging to their claims that Tehran had a role in the
Shiite-led uprising despite the report's findings.
Bahrain
suggested it may have classified intelligence of Iranian links to the
10-month-old unrest, though independent investigators said they found
nothing to back the allegations.
The report's short reference to
Iran touches some of the most powerful Arab Spring narratives among the
Gulf's Sunni leaders. Accusations about plotting by Shiite giant Iran
have been used to justify crushing measures, such as sending Saudi-led
military forces to reinforce Bahrain's embattled monarchy.
It
also reflects the bolder political strategies by Gulf nations to get
involved in uprisings elsewhere — such Saudi's leaders mediating a
possible exit for Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh — while keeping
unwavering pressure on suspected Iran-leaning dissent at home. Saudi's
Interior Ministry said at least four people have been killed this week
in clashes in the heavily Shiite city of Qatif.
The findings by a
special commission that investigated Bahrain's turmoil were a direct
slap at fears by the Western-allied Gulf states that Iran seeks to use
Bahrain as a foothold to try to undermine the region's Sunni regimes.
The commission released a major report Wednesday.
The official
Bahrain News Agency said national security concerns prevented sharing
all intelligence on Iran with the commission. Officials in Iran have
sharply denounced the crackdowns on Bahrain's Shiite majority, but they
insist Iran has no direct ties to the conflict.
The news agency
also repeated statements by Bahrain's king that Iranian propaganda has
fueled bloodshed and clashes on the strategic island, which is home to
the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet. Earlier this month, Bahrain claimed it
dismantled an Iranian-linked terror cell that plotted attacks on
high-profile targets including the Saudi Embassy.
Mustafa Alani, a
regional analyst at the Geneva-based Gulf Research Center, said
Bahraini officials are in a "difficult position" by their claims of
protecting sensitive intelligence while openly accusing some Shiite
activists of working with Iranian agents.
The special
commission's report — authorized by Bahrain's rulers in a bid to ease
tensions — highlighted details of abuses, including torture, excessive
force and legal shortcomings under a special security court.
At least 35 people have been killed in violence related to the uprising, including several members of the security forces.
Bahrain's
Shiites comprise about 70 percent of the island nation's 525,000
citizens. They have complained of widespread discrimination, such as
being blocked from top government or military posts. The monarchy has
offered some concessions but refused to bow to protest demands to
surrender control of top positions and main policies.
Many of the report's conclusions had been previously noted by rights groups and opposition activists.
The burden fell on Bahrain's authorities to prove their charges of Iranian links to the protests.
The
report said evidence presented by Bahrain's government "does not
establish a discernible link between specific incidents" during the time
period studied from February and March.
The commission noted
that most of the government's claims on Iranian involvement related to
alleged intelligence operations, making them impossible to independently
investigate "due to security and confidentiality considerations."
Bahrain's
king, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, lashed back at the findings, insisting
Tehran's role was clear to "all who have eyes and ears."
He
pointed to Iran's Arabic-language broadcasts that "fueled the flames of
sectarian strife," but gave no details on the extent of possible secret
intelligence that was not shared.
Bahrain is a critical U.S.
ally, and Washington has taken a cautious line: Urging Bahrain's leaders
to open more dialogue with the opposition, but avoiding too much public
pressure.
In Washington, the White House on Wednesday commended
the king for appointing the commission and said in a statement that it
is "incumbent upon the government of Bahrain to hold accountable those
responsible for human rights violations and put in place institutional
changes to ensure that such abuses do not happen again."
A
statement by the European Union's foreign policy chief, Catherine
Ashton, urged Bahraini authorities to "open a new chapter ... of
national reconciliation."
___
Murphy reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Associated Press writer Adam Schreck in Dubai contributed to this report.