An Arabic version of a historic report into Bahrain's unrest has been withdrawn after it emerged it was different to the official English copy.

The Arabic version is now being corrected and is expected to be reissued next week.

Eagle-eyed readers had spotted certain information in the Arabic copy was not included in the English report.

For example, paragraph 833 in the Arabic version referred to allegations that protesters at Salmaniya Medical Complex (SMC) carried a Bahraini flag with 12 points - rather than the five points it is supposed to feature.

There have been allegations that such flags were created by members of the opposition to symbolise the 12 Imams of the Shia faith.

However, there is no mention of such a flag in the English report, which is the official version.

A spokeswoman for the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI) said she did not know why there were discrepancies in the reports.

However, she said mistakes could have happened during translation - adding that the Arabic version that was released might not have been the final draft.

"The translation process was done by experts brought in to be part of the BICI team as translators," she said.

Amendments

"Every report goes through a process that includes several drafts and phases. The report was created through bits and pieces put together and sometimes mistakes happen during the translation process.

"Both editions went through several drafts and the Arabic one did not correctly follow the English version. It (the Arabic version) is currently being amended and it will probably be released by next week."

The link to the Arabic version of the report released last Wednesday was removed from the BICI website yesterday.

Instead, an official notice informs visitors to the website that the Arabic version is temporarily unavailable due to amendments currently underway.

"The report of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry was presented to His Majesty King Hamad on November 23 and issued in both English and Arabic language versions to the public," it said.

"However, the report was developed in English and soon after publishing, it was found that the Arabic translation contained some discrepancies.

"As a result, the Arabic report was removed from the website until further notice. When this version has been amended to a satisfactory level, it will be published online and in print,” the notice said. – TradeArabia News Service