The official commission studying alleged human rights abuses in Bahrain will release its findings this week, a move which anti-government activists say will likely spark more unrest in the already-tense island kingdom.
Bahrain's king, Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa, established a five-member commission in June to investigate "whether the events of February and March 2011 (and thereafter) involved violations of international human rights law and norms".
At least 47 people have been martyred in this year's unrest, with hundreds more wounded and detained.
The commission's final report, originally scheduled for release in late October, will be published on Wednesday.
Opposition leaders have already called for large demonstrations to coincide with the release. Many Bahrainis are sceptical that the report will be fair, partly because of statements made by Cherif Bassiouni, the Egyptian judge who chairs the commission.
His most controversial statement came in August, when he told reporters that there was no evidence of routine torture in Bahrain. He backtracked earlier this month, when he told the Egyptian daily Al-Masry Al-Youm that the commission had uncovered 300 cases of torture, and described it as a "systematic policy".
"They don't trust the report. This is a commission appointed by the king," said Yousif al-Muhafdah, a human rights activist.
"The people in Bahrain are disappointed with Bassiouni and his commission."
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Bahrain's king, Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa, established a five-member commission in June to investigate "whether the events of February and March 2011 (and thereafter) involved violations of international human rights law and norms".
At least 47 people have been martyred in this year's unrest, with hundreds more wounded and detained.
The commission's final report, originally scheduled for release in late October, will be published on Wednesday.
Opposition leaders have already called for large demonstrations to coincide with the release. Many Bahrainis are sceptical that the report will be fair, partly because of statements made by Cherif Bassiouni, the Egyptian judge who chairs the commission.
His most controversial statement came in August, when he told reporters that there was no evidence of routine torture in Bahrain. He backtracked earlier this month, when he told the Egyptian daily Al-Masry Al-Youm that the commission had uncovered 300 cases of torture, and described it as a "systematic policy".
"They don't trust the report. This is a commission appointed by the king," said Yousif al-Muhafdah, a human rights activist.
"The people in Bahrain are disappointed with Bassiouni and his commission."
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