US embassy cable - 04MANAMA721

C O N F I D E N T I A L MANAMA 000721 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/17/2014 
TAGS: MOPS, PHUM, PREL, KPAO, BA 
SUBJECT: BAHRAINIS TO WATCH ABU GHRAIB TORTURE TRIALS 
CAREFULLY 
 
Classified By: CDA Robert S. Ford, reason 1.5 (d) 
 
1.  (C)  The editor in chief of the Akhbar al-Khaleej 
newspaper group told CDA and PAO over lunch on May 16 that 
the U.S. can regain some of its lost credibility with the 
Bahraini public if the soldiers responsible for torture at 
Abu Gharieb prison are punished sternly and visibly.  He 
expects the Bahraini public will follow the trials with very 
keen interest.  Some Bahrainis, including his children 
studying in the U.S., anticipate the soldiers will be 
expelled from the Army but released upon return to the U.S. 
Such an outcome would further reinforce widespread public 
sentiment that the American Government is not really 
interested in human rights in Iraq or anywhere else in the 
Arab World. 
 
2.  (C)  The editor said that by contrast if the trials are 
serious, explain the evidence fully and publicly, and serious 
prison terms result, many Bahrainis will conclude that the 
torture was truly the work of only a relatively small group 
and not a broader systemic problem.  The editor said the very 
best thing the U.S. Government could do would be to hold 
serious trials and ensure they are broadcast on television, 
including Arabic satellite networks.  He had no doubt 
millions of Arabs would watch the coverage closely.  He 
opined that Bahrain TV, for example, would surely cary the 
trials locally by linking to the satellite channels. 
 
3.  (C)  Speaking separately, the University of Bahrain 
president told PAO on May 16 that the transparency so far of 
the American investigation was a plus and was limiting to a 
small extent the real damage to American credibility. 
 
4.  (C)  Comment:  These comments track with what we are 
hearing from other contacts in Bahrain about the importance 
of the trials.  Meeting with us privately May 15 the Foreign 
Minister, for example, said the most important thing for the 
U.S. Government now is to hold the trials and punish the 
guilty.  It was striking that the Akhbar al-Khaleej editor, 
one of the most strident opponents of U.S. policy in the 
region, thought the trails help restore some of our 
credibility, especially if the trials were aired on TV. 
FORD