A unified national database that documents damage caused by rogue Iranian drones and missiles that continue to target Bahrain has been proposed in a new report released yesterday by the National Institution for Human Rights (NIHR).
The document sheds light on and reviews the national efforts and measures taken in Bahrain to mitigate the effects arising from the ongoing Iranian aerial attacks.
It also concludes with a set of recommendations relating to national documentation, international litigation, reparation and compensation matters.
A detailed chapter on final recommendations by the report calls for establishing an integrated National System for Documenting Damage and Violations, including the formation of a national committee responsible for collecting, preserving and documenting material or legal evidence related to the Iranian attacks.
“This should include the creation of a unified national database and a comprehensive National Register of Damage and Violations documenting human, material, economic, environmental, cultural and digital damage, as well as damage to civilian objects, critical infrastructure and vital facilities,” according to the recommendations.
“The data should be classified according to the affected right, the nature of the violation, the affected group, and the geographical area, while ensuring future interoperability with relevant international compensation and reparation mechanisms and registries,” it states.
Separately, the NIHR calls for setting up a National Reparation and Compensation Fund for affected persons.
“This will be financed on a temporary basis through the state budget or national support programmes until the amounts disbursed are recovered through international compensation awards or frozen assets belonging to Iran, the aggressor state, in accordance with the rules of international responsibility for internationally wrongful acts,” the report added.
Commenting on a suggested compensation fund and resorting to International Court of Justice (ICJ) action, NIHR chairperson Ali Alderazi said during the report’s launch yesterday: “We are clearly listing our set of recommendations within our mandate to other state parties in order to take action.”
The report outlines compensation mechanisms that include a diplomatic track through the UN route in the Security Council, human rights track and the ICJ and the International Criminal Court.
It explains that the diplomatic track is one of the most prominent internationally-recognised mechanisms for securing compensation for damage resulting from attacks or violations of rights.
This track aims to resolve disputes peacefully and ensure that the affected state obtains its rights, whether through agreements or international resolutions, without resorting to judicial proceedings or military escalation, the report states.
“Bahrain adopted the diplomatic track as a central sovereign tool to strengthen its legitimate rights and entrench the principle of reparation, based on its deep belief that the international order rests on respect for sovereignty and compliance with international treaties,” added the document.
“Bahraini diplomacy has demonstrated its effectiveness in mobilising broad international consensus to condemn the Iranian attacks and affirm the rights of affected persons through two integrated tracks.”
It adds that Bahrain took advance steps by submitting an official letter to the Security Council on February 28 and later on several occasions highlighting Iranian attacks as a threat to international peace and security.
On the human rights aspect, the report reflects statements by the Foreign Minister Dr Abdullatif Al Zayani in the United Nations (UN) expressing ‘condemnation of the heinous Iranian attacks using missiles and drones, which targeted civilians, civilian objects and vital infrastructure, including energy and industrial facilities, ports, services, residential areas and diplomatic premises’.
Dr Al Zayani, during a media briefing on the sidelines of an emergency meeting at the UN Security Council earlier this month, said that since February 28, Bahrain had been subjected to 808 attacks from 203 ballistic missiles and 605 drones, while 465 individuals were injured.
Additional forms of reparation suggested in the report include restitution, which means restoring the situation that existed before the unlawful act occurred.
In the context of the Iranian attacks against Bahrain, it includes rebuilding destroyed facilities, civilian objects and vital infrastructure, particularly damage sustained by oil installations, energy facilities and residential areas, stated the report.
“It should be noted that the competent authorities in the kingdom continue to assess and classify all damage and losses resulting from these attacks, and to follow up on the proactive plans being implemented and the measures taken to address the repercussions of the sinful hostile Iranian attacks against Bahrain,” the report stated.
Meanwhile, co-chairing yesterday’s Press conference was NIHR’s vice chairperson and Detention and Facilities visitation head Dr Malallah Alhammadi who personally conducted interviews of those injured in the attacks by visiting the patients in hospital.
“We are an independent entity that conducted this report covering all aspects according to our point of view by conducting interviews and field visits,” he said.
He added their delegation conducted a field visit (on March 5) to review the conditions of those injured as a result of hostile missile debris falling on a civilian site, which resulted in the injury of two civilian workers.
“We visited a Chinese expat who works in Saudi Arabia, and was visiting Bahrain at the time of the incident, following which he sustained a direct injury to the arm as a result of the falling debris,” said Dr Alhammadi.
The injured man and his wife were transported by ambulance to the SMC within no more than five minutes of the incident, and were allocated a private room following an urgent surgery that was performed on his right arm due to a cut and direct injury.
“The injured man stated that the hospital responded to his request regarding the type of food, as meals suitable for Chinese cuisine were provided in consideration of his personal needs,” the report added.
“The Chinese Embassy was also informed of his health condition, co-ordination was undertaken with the competent authorities to follow up on his situation, and a government point of contact was designated to facilitate follow-up of his health condition and provide the necessary support.”
On the same day ( March 5), NIHR team visited a shelter in Budaiya where the residents in the first days of attacks reached about 800 – which gradually decreased as the state of panic subsided and a number of residents returned to their workplaces or residences after the necessary safety measures had been taken.
At the time, approximately 200 men and women of various Arab, Asian and East Asian nationalities were staying at the centre, the report stated.
During the visit, direct meetings and open discussions were held with a number of residents who expressed their satisfaction with the availability of basic needs inside the centre, noting the regular provision of daily meals, including Iftar and suhoor meals for those fasting during Ramadan, in addition to the continuous provision of drinking water in sealed bottles.
Teams from the rights body also visited Sitra on May 20 when a number of homes were damaged following the May 9 incident that resulted in debris from a hostile missile or drone that had been intercepted, resulting in an explosion and the scattering of shrapnel across a number of residential neighbourhoods. Interviews were conducted by the homeowners to assess the damage to their properties, and later restoration of the houses was also followed up.
Furthermore, NIHR officials visited the Housing and Urban Planning Ministry and met minister Amna Al Romaihi to get insight on steps taken to restore damaged government housing units.
The findings covered in 12 chapters of the report indicated that the areas most severely affected were Sitra, Hidd Housing Area and Juffair, while other areas sustained varying levels of damage ranging from moderate to minor, including Jasra, Khalifa Town, parts of Hamala and Hamad Town.
One of the points repeatedly mentioned in the report in different chapters is the rehabilitation that includes the provision of medical, psychological and social care to people, including students who suffered physical or psychological harm as a result of the attacks.
The report features a timeline of different attacks that occurred in Bahrain from February 28 until June 11 backed with photographs that revealed the extent of the damage.
It includes targeting of hotel facilities which it stated ... ‘led to reduced investor confidence, increased insurance costs against war risks in the shipping, aviation and hospitality sectors, lower tourism revenues, harm to the hospitality and tourism sectors, and lower hotel occupancy due to tourists’ concerns’.
“Retail tourism and shopping malls were also negatively affected by reduced flows of Gulf and foreign visitors, while restaurants and cafes, particularly in Manama, experienced clear revenue declines, supply-chain disruptions and reduced foreign investor confidence, slowing the inflow of new investments in the real-estate and tourism markets,” said the findings.
The report documents that several heritage events, conference, Ramadan ghabgas and the F1 race in Bahrain were cancelled due to the Iranian aggression.
The cancellations resulted in direct and indirect economic losses that affected the hotel, aviation, transport and restaurant sectors, while the temporary closure of cultural sites affiliated with the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities, and the postponement of a number of events, festivals and workshops, affected visitors, residents and workers in those sectors connected with cultural and tourism activities.
Many visitors to Bahrain, particularly those arriving on international cruise ships or transit flights, were unable to visit historic sites inscribed on the Unesco World Heritage List, including sites that form part of the civilisational heritage of the kingdom, the report noted.
Furthermore, the NIHR report documents the material damage of the Bahrain Contemporary Art Association headquarters in Juffair as a result of the Iranian attacks. Parts of the building collapsed and its internal structure was damaged, exposing its artworks by Bahraini artists to the risk of destruction or damage.
The report concludes that ‘Bahrain has demonstrated, through its leadership, government and people, during these exceptional circumstances, embodies a cohesive national model in crisis management, the protection of civilians and the safeguarding of human rights’.
It further expresses hope that the report will contribute to strengthening international accountability for these attacks and that it will serve as a reliable reference for safeguarding the sovereignty of the states in the face of aggression.
The NIHR was formed by His Majesty King Hamad in 2009 to work with state agencies on the drafting of Bahrain’s rights reports, hold conferences and workshops and promote human rights.
- Citizens and expats can contact the NIHR via its various communication channels: The hotline (80001144), the mobile app NIHR Bahrain or the NIHR website (www.nihr.org.bh).
sandy@gdnmedia.bh
Recommendations
The National Institution for Human Rights new report documenting Iran’s aggression has come with a set of recommendations.
- Setting up a regular car ferry service linking Bahrain with neighbouring states as an alternative national plan to ensure the continuity of travel, movement, evacuation and essential supplies in cases of closure or disruption of airspace or land routes.
- Introducing a National Psychosocial Support Plans and Programmes to address the humanitarian and psychological consequences of future crises and attacks. This should include establishing specialised units to provide care for victims and affected persons, particularly children, women, older persons, workers, persons with disabilities, and other vulnerable groups, while developing rehabilitation and social reintegration.
- Continue strengthening early warning systems and civilian protection by developing response systems, intensifying public awareness campaigns on safety and evacuation procedures, and ensuring that official alerts and instructions reach all residents through diverse technological and media platforms, thereby reducing casualties during crises and attacks.
- Call for the development of a national legislative and regulatory framework for civil protection, including engineering and technical requirements for providing shelters or safe areas in buildings and facilities, taking into account safety, ventilation, capacity and accessibility standards for persons with disabilities, older persons and children. This includes developing national plans to identify and equip public shelters and accommodation centres and ensure their readiness in terms of supplies and basic services, while taking into account population density and the geographical distribution of residential areas.
- Strengthen labour-market oversight and activate inspection mechanisms to ensure compliance with fair-work standards, including wages, working hours and safe working conditions, in order to limit practices that affect the essence of the right to work or income stability during exceptional circumstances.
- Request to the World Health Organisation (WHO), to document the health and humanitarian effects of the Iranian attacks, including injuries, deaths, and damage to the health sector and treatment services. The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) to assess any potential effects on food and water security, continuity of essential services and supply chains.
- Strengthen food and water security by increasing strategic reserves, securing alternative supply chains and protecting critical infrastructure, including desalination plants, water networks and food storage facilities.
- Continue developing environmental and radiological monitoring systems, in a manner that ensures the rapid detection of any potential environmental changes or risks, such as cross-border radiological or chemical pollution, and immediate response to them, while investing in environmental infrastructure, including monitoring stations and early-warning systems and strengthening Gulf co-operation.
- Ensure the protection of vital digital databases by storing them in alternative geographical locations or in data centres that are fortified and resistant to bombardment and shocks, equipped with fire and natural-disaster protection systems and supported by off-site backup systems to ensure data continuity and recovery under any emergency circumstances.
- Establish a national database of cultural sites and immediately document any damage, even minor damage, while preparing periodic reports on the condition of heritage during crises. Support preventive measures during crises to ensure the continuity of cultural and religious activities with the least possible disruption.
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