US embassy cable - 04MANAMA1658

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 MANAMA 001658 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR DS/IP/NEA, DS/IP/ITA, NEA/ARPI 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/30/2019 
TAGS: PGOV, KDEM, ASEC, PHUM, BA 
SUBJECT: ACTIVISTS SEEK TO LOWER TEMPERATURE FOLLOWING 
ARRESTS, PROPERTY DAMAGE IN WEEKEND DEMONSTRATIONS 
 
REF: A. MANAMA 1503 
     B. MANAMA 1489 
     C. MANAMA 1482 
 
Classified by Ambassador William T. Monroe for reasons 1.4 
(b) and (d). 
 
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Summary 
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1.  (C) The Committee to support Shia activist Abdul Hadi Al 
Khawaja has decided to stop its protest activities following 
a weekend of demonstrations, violence and arrests.  A "car 
parade" in support of Al Khawaja tied up traffic in Manama 
for hours October 28 during peak evening hours for visiting 
during this month of Ramadan.  Police arrested 25 
participants, seized their licenses and suspended their 
driving privileges.  On October 29, masked young men lured 
police to an empty lot and attacked their vehicles with 
Molotov cocktails.  Police intend to respond forcefully to 
additional provocations.  President of the closed Bahrain 
Center for Human Rights Nabeel Rajab (protect throughout) 
told us he is searching for a face-saving way to stop the 
escalations and cycle of violence.  The Cabinet approved a 
draft law imposing new regulations on those wishing to hold 
demonstrations.  End Summary. 
 
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Committee Calls Off Demonstrations 
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2.  (C) Nabeel Rajab, president of the closed Bahrain Center 
for Human Rights told PolOff October 31 that the 20-member 
Committee to Support (Shia activist Abdul Hadi) Al Khawaja 
had decided to suspend protest activities until the end of 
Ramadan (about November 14).  The Committee issued a press 
statement later the same day saying the organization would 
suspend its activities due to the deteriorating security 
situation and acts of violence that had created chaos in many 
areas in the last few days.  Specifically, it canceled the 
protest scheduled for Wednesday, the day of Al Khawaja's next 
court session.  Rajab told us that the Committee would 
proceed with a previously scheduled symposium the evening of 
November 1 during which it would solicit suggestions on 
"peaceful and positive ways" to support Al Khawaja. 
 
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Car Parade Snarls Traffic Throughout Capital 
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3.  (C) The move to halt protest activities follows a weekend 
of demonstrations, arrests, and property damage.  On 
Thursday, October 28, the Committee organized a "car parade" 
to call for Al Khawaja's release.  The organizers envisioned 
supporters slowly driving their vehicles in the rightmost 
lane in a loop on six-lane major arteries, as they had done 
about one month ago with little traffic disruption and no 
confrontation with security forces.  This time, the parade 
caused massive problems.  By about 8:00 PM, riot police lined 
the major highways in anticipation of the parade to begin at 
about 9:00 PM, the peak traveling/visiting time on this 
weekend evening during the month of Ramadan.  According to 
participants in the parade, police blocked off all lanes to 
stop the processions.  Ministry of Interior (MOI) sources 
dispute this, telling RSO that protesters intentionally 
parked their vehicles at major intersections.  Whatever the 
cause, the traffic snarls delayed travelers up to two hours 
throughout Manama. 
 
4.  (C) At about 9:30 PM, RSO observed from the Embassy as 
approximately 150 demonstrators gathered at the McDonald's 
intersection adjacent to the Embassy compound.  Some 200 
police watched and formed ranks to confront the protesters 
only when they noticed some of the participants carrying 
stones.  The protesters then fled the area.  At midnight, RSO 
observed some 35 young people detained and wearing flex-cuffs 
on the median strip of the highway about one mile from the 
Embassy.  (Note:  The Embassy was not targeted in any way; 
the McDonald's intersection is a popular location for 
demonstrations because protesters can disrupt traffic easily 
throughout the area by disturbing the flow of vehicles on 
these major roads.  End Note.)  There are unconfirmed reports 
of police using tear gas to disperse protesters who had laid 
down in the highway close to the entrance of the causeway to 
Saudi Arabia. 
 
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25 Arrests 
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5.  (C) The press reported October 29 that police had 
arrested 25 people, confiscated their licenses, and suspended 
their driving privileges for 30 days.  Among those arrested 
are two human rights activists:  spokesperson of the National 
Committee for Victims of Torture Abdul Raouf Al Shayeb and 
board member Mahmood Ramadan.  According to MOI sources, both 
Al Shayeb and Ramadan were arrested because they had 
organized the event, not for provoking police or disrupting 
traffic.  Initial charges brought against demonstrators 
include illegal assembly, obstructing police from carrying 
out their duty, violent acts, and violence against public 
sector employees.  Charges could bring 5-7 years in jail and 
fines up to BD500 ($1,325) per person. 
 
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Evening (Molotov) Cocktails 
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6.  (C)  The following day, prominent Shia cleric Shaikh Isa 
Qassim and opposition society Al Wifaq President Shaikh Ali 
Salman emphasized in their Friday sermons the importance of 
preserving freedoms and expressing support for Al Khawaja in 
a peaceful manner.  However, that same evening, on October 
29, a group of ten young men wearing hoods set fire to trash 
bins in an empty lot next to the Bahrain Mall in Sanabis. 
When police arrived at the scene, the men threw Molotov 
cocktails at the police cars, setting fire to and damaging 
one of them.  MOI contacts told RSO that they arrested some 
of the attackers and are conducting investigations of others. 
 Police are confident of making additional arrests.  The MOI 
characterized those arrested as being supporters of Al 
Khawaja.  These officials expressed their anger at the 
intentional manner in which the attackers lured police to the 
scene by damaging property and then tossed the Molotov 
cocktails.  The police warned that they would deal harshly 
with additional provocations.  Other protesters stoned a 
police vehicle the night of October 30 and burned tires the 
night of October 31. 
 
7.  (C)  Rajab told us he had met with MOI Under Secretary 
Shaikh Daij bin Khalifa Al Khalifa October 30 to discuss ways 
to calm the situation.  Rajab reported that he had condemned 
the violence and informed Shaikh Daij of the Committee's 
decision to suspend activities for the remainder of Ramadan. 
Rajab asserted that the Committee organized peaceful 
demonstrations only and feared it may not be able to control 
the more radical elements among Al Khawaja's supporters, such 
as those who had carried out the Molotov cocktail attack.  He 
commented to us that he and the Committee were now looking 
for a face-saving way to stop the escalations and cycle of 
violence. 
 
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Draft Law Coming to Parliament 
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8.  (C) The Cabinet announced October 31 that it had approved 
a draft law to regulate rallies and demonstrations.  It would 
require organizers of rallies and protests to obtain permits 
from the relevant governors' offices, and stipulates prison 
sentences and fines for those convicted of violations.  The 
law must be debated in and approved by the Shura and Nowab 
Councils (upper and lower houses of parliament) before 
entering into force.  Leaders of several blocs in the Nowab 
have already spoken publicly in support of the draft law. 
 
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Comment 
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9.  (C) The Committee to Support Al Khawaja has taken itself 
out of the game for now, and people are left wondering who is 
responsible for the acts of violence against security forces. 
 Rajab, Isa Qassim and Ali Salman have consistently called 
for peaceful acts of protest in support of Al Khawaja.  An 
unnamed Al Wifaq source told Al Wasat newspaper October 31 
that a radical wing of Al Wifaq, outside the control of 
Salman, was responsible for the attacks and violence. 
Another possibility is that bored youth are taking advantage 
of the charged atmosphere to carry out acts of vandalism 
devoid of any political meaning or intent. 
 
10.  (C) Comment Continued:  One effect of the increasingly 
confrontational tactics of the opposition and strong security 
response has been to bolster the stature and power of the 
Prime Minister.  He has been at best a lukewarm supporter of 
King Hamad's political and economic reform program, and the 
friction between the government and the mainly Shia 
opposition has permitted him to flex his law-and-order 
persona and muscle.  He has been hailed as a hero during 
recent visits to Ramadan majleses in Sunni strongholds while 
the King and Crown Prince Salman have been much less in the 
public view.  Ironically, Al Khawaja's bid to push the 
envelope on freedom of speech and expression may ultimately 
lead to greater restrictions in these areas, such as the 
draft law that will further regulate demonstrations. 
 
MONROE