The Al Bandar report refers to an alleged political conspiracy by the certain government officials in Bahrain to foment sectarian strife and marginalize the majority Shia community in the country. The conspiracy was allegedly led and financed by Ahmed bin Ateyatalla Al Khalifa, Minister of Cabinet Affairs and head of the Civil Informatics Organization and member of the Al Khalifa royal family. The allegations were revealed in September 2006, in a 240-page document produced by the Gulf Centre for Democratic Development, and authored by Dr Salah Al Bandar, an adviser to the Cabinet Affairs Ministry. Following the distribution of the report, Bahraini police forcibly deported Dr Al Bandar to the United Kingdom, where he holds citizenship.
According to Dr al-Bandar, the Minister in Bahrain paid five main operatives a total of more than $2.7 million to run:
- a secret intelligence cell spying on Shi’as
- ‘GONGOs’ – government operated bogus NGOs like the ‘Bahraini Jurists Society’ and the ‘Bahrain Human Rights Watch Society’
- internet forums and websites that foment sectarian hatred
- subsidisation of ‘new converts’ from Shia Islamic sect to the Sunni sect
- payments for election rigging
Read more about Al Bandar Report: Individuals Accused in The Bandargate Report
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