US embassy cable - 02ROME1516

C O N F I D E N T I A L ROME 001516 
 
SIPDIS 
 
CAIRO FOR HUMAN RIGHTS OFFICER MICHELLE DUNNE 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/26/2007 
TAGS: KIRF, PHUM, KPAL, EG, IS, IT, UN 
SUBJECT: ITALIAN SCIENTOLOGIST REQUESTS (FURTHER) USG HELP 
FOR TWO MEMBERS ARRESTED IN EGYPT 
 
REF: CAIRO 2089 
 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
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CLASSIFIED BY: LABCOUN JAMES EHRMAN.  REASON 1.5 (D). 
 
SUMMARY 
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1.  (C) A REPRESENTATIVE OF THE CHURCH OF SCIENTOLOGY IN 
ITALY VISITED US 3/25, SEEKING FURTHER USG HELP IN BEHALF OF 
TWO SCIENTOLOGY MEMBERS CURRENTLY IMPRISONED IN EGYPT.  HE 
HOPED FURTHER USG HELP WOULD BE DECISIVE AND SWAY GOE 
AUTHORITIES TO DEPORT THE TWO.  END SUMMARY. 
 
2.  (C) FABIO AMICARELLI, PUBLIC AFFAIRS DIRECTOR FOR 
SCIENTOLOGY (ITALY), VISITED EMBASSY 3/25 TO REQUEST USG HELP 
ON BEHALF OF CHURCH OF SCIENTOLOGY MEMBERS MAHMOUD MASARWA 
AND WIFE (WAFAA YASIM), ARRESTED IN CAIRO 12/24/01 (REFTEL). 
ACCORDING TO AMICARELLI, MASARWA IS AN ISRAELI ARAB, MUSLIM 
BY BIRTH AND SCIENTOLOGIST BY CONVICTION.  YASIM IS 
PALESTINIAN AND HOLDS PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY AND JORDANIAN 
TRAVEL DOCUMENTS.  BOTH ARE MEMBERS OF THE TEL AVIV 
SCIENTOLOGY COMMUNITY. 
 
3.  (SBU) AMICARELLI IS BASED IN MILAN.  HIS INVOLVEMENT WITH 
THIS MATTER STEMS FROM HIS POSITION AS SCIENTOLOGY'S PUBLIC 
AFFAIRS DIRECTOR IN ITALY, MASARWA'S LEGAL RESIDENCE IN MILAN 
(SINCE 1999), AND MASARWA'S EMPLOYMENT BY MILAN-BASED NEW ERA 
PUBLICATIONS ITALY (PUBLISHING HOUSE LINKED TO SCIENTOLOGY). 
MASARWA/YASIM WENT TO EGYPT TO PROMOTE "DIANETICS," AUTHORED 
BY SCIENTOLOGY FOUNDER L.RON HUBBARD.  THE BOOK, ACCORDING TO 
AMICARELLI, HAD BEEN CLEARED BY EGYPTIAN CENSORS AND IS NOT 
RELIGIOUS IN NATURE. 
 
4.  (C) AMICARELLI ATTRIBUTES THE ARREST TO DISINFORMATION ON 
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PAGE 03        ROME  01516  261024Z 
SCIENTOLOGY EMANATING FROM GERMANY AND FRANCE WHICH, HE 
SUSPECTS, PROVOKED A NERVOUS REACTION AMONG EGYPTIAN CENSORS, 
WHO HAD SECOND THOUGHTS ABOUT HAVING APPROVED "DIANETICS." 
IT WAS NOT UNTIL THREE WEEKS AFTER THEIR ARREST THAT MASARWA 
AND YASIM WERE CHARGED WITH CONTEMPT OF RELIGION.  A 60-DAY 
INVESTIGATIVE HOLDING PERIOD ENDED 2/26/02, AT WHICH TIME 
PROSECUTORS SOUGHT A 45-DAY EXTENSION.  THE COURT GRANTED AN 
EXTENSION, BUT LIMITED IT TO 30 DAYS, I.E., A DEADLINE THAT 
IS IMMINENT.  AT THE END OF THIS PERIOD, AMICARELLI SAID, 
EGYPTIAN AUTHORITIES WILL EITHER HAVE TO REQUEST A FURTHER 
EXTENSION OF THE HOLDING PERIOD, SEND THE CASE TO TRIAL, OR 
FREE (AND PRESUMABLY DEPORT) THE TWO. 
 
5.  (C) AMICARELLI SAID FOREIGN INTERVENTION HELPED BRING 
THIS MATTER TO THE ATTENTION OF HIGHER GOE AUTHORITIES, FOR 
WHOM IT REPRESENTS AN EMBARRASSMENT.  INFORMAL GOI INTEREST, 
HE SAID, WAS PROBABLY STIMULATED BY THE ACTIVE INVOLVEMENT OF 
EMBASSY CAIRO HUMAN RIGHTS OFFICER MICHELLE DUNNE.  HE SAID 
HE HOPED TO PROD OFFICIAL GOI INTERVENTION (BASED ON THE 
EFFORTS OF AN ITALIAN PUBLISHER TO PROMOTE COMMERCIAL SALES 
IN EGYPT) THAT COULD SWAY EGYPTIAN AUTHORITIES TO RELEASE OR 
DEPORT THE TWO WHEN THE CURRENT 30-DAY HOLDING PERIOD ENDS. 
 
6.  (C) COMMENT: WHILE AMICARELLI UNDERSTANDS THE USG HAS 
LIMITED GROUNDS ON WHICH TO INTERVENE (AS MASARWA AND YASIM 
ARE NOT AMCITS OR RESIDENT IN THE U.S., AND THEIR EMPLOYER IS 
NOT AN AMERICAN FIRM), HE NEVERTHELESS ATTRIBUTES TO THE U.S. 
AN INFLUENTIAL ROLE IN EGYPT THAT COULD BE DECISIVE.  (AMONG 
OTHER DOCUMENTS, HE LEFT US A 2/22/02 LETTER ON THE CASE FROM 
HOUSE INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS COMMITTEE MEMBER REP. BENJAMIN 
GILMAN TO EGYPTIAN AMBASSADOR NABIL FAHMY.)  AMICARELLI HOPED 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
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HIS VISIT TO AMEMBASSY ROME WOULD TRIGGER A FURTHER EFFORT BY 
EMBASSY CAIRO, TIMED TO COINCIDE WITH THE CURRENT 30-DAY 
HOLDING PERIOD'S EXPIRATION. 
SEMBLER 
 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
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 2002ROME01516 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL