Dr Salah Al Bandar is a British citizen of Sudanese origin known for his role in revealing the Bandargate scandal

Bandargate scandal

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...

 in Bahrain

Bahrain

' , officially the Kingdom of Bahrain , is a small island state near the western shores of the Persian Gulf. It is ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family. The population in 2010 stood at 1,214,705, including 235,108 non-nationals. Formerly an emirate, Bahrain was declared a kingdom in 2002.Bahrain is...

. Al Bandar had been working as a strategic planning adviser to the Cabinet Affairs Ministry of Bahrain

Bahrain

' , officially the Kingdom of Bahrain , is a small island state near the western shores of the Persian Gulf. It is ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family. The population in 2010 stood at 1,214,705, including 235,108 non-nationals. Formerly an emirate, Bahrain was declared a kingdom in 2002.Bahrain is...

 since October 2006. On September 13, 2006 he was arrested and deported to London by Bahraini officials after he distributed a report revealing a conspiracy to suppress the Shia in Bahrain (who form the majority of the population). The scandal that ensued was named Bandargate, after him. Al Bandar is also the secretary general of the Gulf Centre for Democratic Development

Gulf Centre for Democratic Development

The Gulf Centre for Democratic Development is a training, information, and advocacy institution dedicated to promoting and nurturing democratic values in the Gulf Co-operation Council countries as defined in the International Bill of Human Rights. It is a non-governmental organization based in...

, a London-registered non-governmental organisation.

Bandargate

Mr. Bandar, 52, a Sunni Muslim, received calls in January 2006 from other Sunnis inside the Bahrain government concerned over an organized campaign to raise tensions within the government and the Bahrainian society. Bandar began investigating the accusations with the help of accountants and government whistle-blowers.

The report

In early September, 2006 he presented a 240-page report to advisers of King Hamad and the prime minister, Sheik Khalifa bin Salman al-Khalifa, as well as to Western embassies and the news media. The report indicates a secret plot to "deprive an essential part of the population" (Shiites) of their rights.