MANAMA, Bahrain, Nov. 23 (UPI) -- A report presented Wednesday to the king of Bahrain found government forces used excessive force against protesters there.
Cherif Bassiouni, the Egyptian lawyer who headed the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry, detailed at least 46 deaths, 559 people who said they had been tortured and more than 4,000 who lost their jobs because they participated in protests, The Christian Science Monitor reported. Most of the protesters were from the Shia majority, while the ruling family is Sunni.
But Bassiouni said it is "unique" that an Arab government called for an independent investigation of its own actions, the BBC said.
King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa said he would name a committee to make recommendations for reform.
"We are determined, God willing, to insure that the painful events are not to be repeated, but that we learn from them and use our new insights as a catalyst for positive change," he said.
Bahrain with a population of 1.2 million is far smaller than most of the countries affected by the Arab Spring. But the country has enormous strategic importance because the U.S. Sixth Fleet is based there.
