Bahraini security personnel used excessive force during a crackdown on demonstrators this year and detainees were mistreated, the kingdom's cabinet said yesterday, ahead of tomorrow's release of the outcome of an official inquiry into the violence.
The government pledged to punish personnel responsible for abuses and said torture would be outlawed and penalties toughened as a result of its own investigations made while the commission carried out its inquiry.
Bahrain has come under widespread criticism by rights groups for the way it dealt with the protests and for the severe sentences handed down to activists by a military-run court set up during the unrest in February.
"We cannot condone mistreatment and abuses by our officials. There will be no impunity," the cabinet said. "All those responsible for abuses will be held accountable."
The government also said it would establish a new national independent human-rights institution.
"Every civilian casualty is a defeat for the government. The extremists know this and have engaged in reckless provocation."
The government said 20 prosecutions had already been made against officers and more action could follow, saying abuses breached government policy.
At least 40 people have died since February when the Shiite majority started campaigning for greater rights and political reforms.
"Our police forces have generally shown admirable restraint when faced with great provocation," the government said, adding four policemen had been killed and more than 800 injured.
The king requested the formation of the commission, led by eminent international rights lawyers, in June.
Also that month, the government held a national dialogue which led to promises of parliamentary reforms. But it stopped short of the key opposition demand of giving the elected chamber legislative powers and the right to form cabinets.
Tomorrow's report by the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry "will be very critical of these occurrences and the government's responsibility for failing to prevent them," it said.
"The government expects such criticism," it added.
* With reporting by Reuters, Agence France-Presse and the Associated Press
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
As You Were
Liam Gallagher
(Warner Bros)
Match info
Bournemouth 1 (King 45 1')
Arsenal 2 (Lerma 30' og, Aubameyang 67')
Man of the Match: Sead Kolasinac (Arsenal)
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Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
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Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
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Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
Scoreline
Arsenal 3
Aubameyang (28'), Welbeck (38', 81')
Red cards: El Neny (90' 3)
Southampton 2
Long (17'), Austin (73')
Red cards: Stephens (90' 2)
if you go
The flights
Direct flights from the UAE to the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu, are available with Air Arabia, (www.airarabia.com) Fly Dubai (www.flydubai.com) or Etihad (www.etihad.com) from Dh1,200 return including taxes. The trek described here started from Jomson, but there are many other start and end point variations depending on how you tailor your trek. To get to Jomson from Kathmandu you must first fly to the lake-side resort town of Pokhara with either Buddha Air (www.buddhaair.com) or Yeti Airlines (www.yetiairlines.com). Both charge around US$240 (Dh880) return. From Pokhara there are early morning flights to Jomson with Yeti Airlines or Simrik Airlines (www.simrikairlines.com) for around US$220 (Dh800) return.
The trek
Restricted area permits (US$500 per person) are required for trekking in the Upper Mustang area. The challenging Meso Kanto pass between Tilcho Lake and Jomson should not be attempted by those without a lot of mountain experience and a good support team. An excellent trekking company with good knowledge of Upper Mustang, the Annaurpuna Circuit and Tilcho Lake area and who can help organise a version of the trek described here is the Nepal-UK run Snow Cat Travel (www.snowcattravel.com). Prices vary widely depending on accommodation types and the level of assistance required.
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Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
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Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
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Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Fighting with My Family
Director: Stephen Merchant
Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Nick Frost, Lena Headey, Florence Pugh, Thomas Whilley, Tori Ellen Ross, Jack Lowden, Olivia Bernstone, Elroy Powell
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Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The biog
Name: Sarah Al Senaani
Age: 35
Martial status: Married with three children - aged 8, 6 and 2
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