MANAMA: Bahrain suggested Thursday that it has classified evidence that Iran was linked to Shia-led protests in the Gulf kingdom despite an independent commission that said it found nothing to back the claims.
The allegations of Iranian involvement in the kingdom’s 10-month-old unrest have been central to Gulf policies during the region’s largest Arab Spring uprising, including the decision to send a Saudi-led military force to reinforce Bahrain’s embattled Sunni monarchy.
But the findings of a special commission that investigated Bahrain’s turmoil — contained in a 500-page report issued Wednesday — were a direct slap at fears by the Western-allied Gulf states that Shia power Iran seeks to use Bahrain as a foothold to try to undermine the region’s Sunni Arab regimes.
The official Bahrain News Agency said national security concerns prevented sharing all intelligence on Iran, which has sharply denounced the crackdowns on Bahrain’s Shia majority but insists it has no direct ties to the conflict.
The news agency also repeated statements by Bahrain’s king that Iranian propaganda has fueled the bloodshed and clashes on the strategic island, which is home to the US 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.
The special commission’s report — authorized by Bahrain’s rulers in a bid to ease tensions — was dominated by 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 Shias 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 all top positions and main policies.
Many of the report’s conclusions had been previously noted by rights groups and opposition activists. But 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.
But 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 US 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."
