The king of Bahrain has announced an independent investigation into weeks of protest that rocked the Gulf island nation earlier this year.
The move by King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa comes ahead of a national dialogue, due to start on Saturday.
At least 31 people died when Bahrain’s Sunni rulers put down pro-democracy protests led by the Shia majority.
Opposition groups have not said if they will participate in the talks while their leaders remain behind bars.
In a televised address on Wednesday, the king blamed the unrest on “extremists [who] hijack the nation and take it into chaos and extremism.”
