US embassy cable - 04MANAMA720

S E C R E T MANAMA 000720 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NOFORN 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR S/WCI, NEA/PPD AND NEA/ARP 
CAIRO FOR STEVE BONDY 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/16/2029 
TAGS: PREL, PTER, BA 
SUBJECT: TORTURE ALLEGATIONS OF BAHRAINI GTMO DETAINEE - 
GUIDANCE REQUESTED 
 
Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Robert S. Ford for 
reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
1.   (U) SUMMARY AND ACTION REQUEST. The Abu Gharieb prison 
scandal has spurred stories of Bahraini GTMO detainees being 
tortured.  An open letter to President Bush that specified a 
Bahraini citizen by name has gained credibility with some 
government and NGO leaders. Sunni Islamist parliamentarians 
raised the reports of torture with the Minister of State.  To 
the Embassy's knowledge the prisoner has made no formal 
complaints of abuse. ACTION REQUEST:  Post requests immediate 
press guidance to counter allegations of abuse of a Bahraini 
GTMO detainee. END SUMMARY. 
 
2.  (U) On May 15 English daily "Bahrain Tribune" featured 
allegations by two former British-Pakistani GTMO detainees 
that US prison guards at Guantanamo Bay beat an ailing 
Bahraini detainee.  In the same article vocal anti-American 
Parliament member Shaikh Mohammed Khalid condemned the 
torture and called for national mobilization to release all 
six Bahraini detainees.  Arabic daily "Al Ayam" also reported 
the allegation which was derived from an open letter to 
President Bush.  The letter named Juma Al-Dossari as the 
victim. 
 
3.  (U)  On May 16 Arabic daily, "Akhbar Al Khaleej," 
published an op-ed piece by Muslim Brotherhood Friday prayer 
leader Shaikh Salah Fuad Ubaid.  Ubaid posited that the US 
Army abused Arab prisoners at GTMO because President Bush 
waged war against Arabs and the Muslim world. On the same 
day, independent newspaper "Al Wasat" reported that Bahrain 
Human Rights Society Deputy Secretary General Salman Kamal 
Al-Din questioned the credibility of the torture.  He noted 
that a GOB security delegation recently visited Guantanamo 
and confirmed that the detainees were in good physical and 
mental condition. 
 
4.  (C)  President of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights 
Nabeel Rajab told Pol/Econ Chief on May 16 that prior to the 
publishing of the open letter, Nabeel had been skeptical 
about the reports that one of the Bahraini detainees was 
tortured.  However, the Abu Ghariebprison scandal gave the 
allegation credibility. He told Pol/Econ Chief that he 
believes the problem is systemic and not isolated to a few 
young soldiers. 
 
5.  (C)  MFA Minister of State Abdelghaffar told CDA on May 
11 (before the British detainees' open letter was reported in 
Bahrain) that Sunni Islamist parliamentarians had raised with 
him the reports of torture at Abu Gharieb and the possibility 
of Bahrainis being tortured at GTMO.  He said he discounted 
these allegations but there is new parliamentary heat on the 
MFA to do something.  Abdelghaffar said he knew a team had 
just gone to GTMO and found no particular complaints from the 
Bahraini detainees, but he asked if a Bahraini doctor could 
go look at them.  CDA told the MinState such a visit was most 
unlikely to receive approval.  Abdelghaffar understood but 
asked that we check. 
 
6.  (S/NF)  COMMENT.  On April 26 Emboff escorted a GOB 
delegation to GTMO that met with all six Bahraini detainees. 
The detainees did not lodge any complaints of mistreatment or 
abuse.  On April 27 and April 29, the GOB delegation met with 
detainee Juma Al-Dossari. Al-Dossari complained that he had 
been in solitary confinement for over a year.  Prison 
officials explained that Al-Dossari has attempted suicide at 
least seven times.  They placed him under suicide watch in an 
individual cell for his own protection.  EmbOff reported that 
GOB delegations visited GTMO on two previous occasions. 
Since April 2002, the Bahraini detainess have not formally 
complained of mistreatment or abuse.  For some GOB officials 
and societal leaders, the allegation that US prison guards 
tortured a Bahraini detainee at Guantanamo Bay has gained 
credibility in light of the Abu Gharieb prison scandal.  END 
COMMENT. 
FORD