US embassy cable - 05MANAMA363

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MANAMA 000363 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ARPI, DRL 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/13/2015 
TAGS: PHUM, PGOV, PREL, BA 
SUBJECT: WEBSITE ADMINISTRATORS REFUSE BAIL OFFER, REMAIN 
IN DETENTION 
 
REF: MANAMA 281 
 
Classified By: Ambassador William T. Monroe for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) 
. 
 
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Summary 
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1.  (SBU) In a meeting with the public prosecutor March 13, 
three Internet website administrators who were detained two 
weeks ago rejected a bail offer and chose to remain in jail 
until their next hearing in 15 days.  Following the meeting, 
the detainees' supporters gathered for a protest and vowed to 
demonstrate weekly until the three are released.  The 
detainees began a hunger strike on March 12 but ended it a 
day later when they were moved to a different jail.  Minister 
of State for Foreign Affairs / Information Minister Abdul 
Ghaffar told the Ambassador that the three had broken the law 
and the case was now properly in the courts. 
 
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Internet administrators detained, begin hunger strike 
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2.  (SBU) In a meeting with the public prosecutor March 13, 
Ali Abdul Imam, Sayed Mohammed Al Mousawi, and Hussein 
Yousef, who were arrested in late February and charged with 
incitement against the government and spreading false rumors, 
rejected an offer to be released on bail and will remain in 
jail.  The public prosecutor offered to release each of the 
three administrators of the Bahrain On-Line website on BD 
1000 (USD 2700) bail on the condition that they remain in the 
country.  The administrators, whose next hearing is in 15 
days, said they are innocent and will remain in custody until 
they are freed without charge.  Following the meeting, 
approximately 50 of the detainees' supporters gathered for a 
protest.  Borrowing the U.S. color-coded threat categories, 
demonstrators wore orange to signify a "high" level of threat 
against freedom of expression in Bahrain.  Some of the 
protesters chained themselves together and held signs and 
broken computer keyboards.  They vowed to demonstrate weekly 
until the detainees are released. 
 
3.  (C) All three detainees, who were being held at the Hoora 
Police Station, began a hunger strike March 12 to demand 
safer, more sanitary cells and pens and paper to write 
letters to their families.  The sister of one of the 
detainees told EmbOff that the three were being held in a 
cell with drug addicts and other criminals.  On March 13, 
they were moved to the Dry Dock Prison, where standards are 
reputably higher, and ended their hunger strike. 
 
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Campaign of support for the detainees 
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4.  (SBU) Shi'a religious leaders spoke out in support of the 
detainees, and some of their statements were posted on 
Bahrain On-Line.  In his March 4 Friday sermon, prominent 
Shi'a cleric Sheikh Issa Qassem urged the GOB to release the 
detainees and commented that the media must be clean, 
objective and constructive in its criticisms of the 
government. Shi'a Sheikh Mohamed Ali Al Mahfood called the 
arrest an insult to reforms and accused the GOB of 
subjectively implementing the law.  Several political 
societies and civil society organizations have also called 
for the detainees' release. 
 
5.  (SBU) Other supporters both inside and outside of Bahrain 
regularly contribute to a website dedicated to the release of 
the detainees (http://freeali.blogspot.com).  The website 
includes links to articles on the case as well as links to 
other websites that support the detainees.  Reporters Without 
Borders called for the release of the detainees and said the 
November 2002 press law should be changed.  According to the 
group's website, the press law guarantees the right to 
"express one's opinion and to disseminate it orally or in 
writing,"  but deems anything "against the Islamic faith, the 
unity of the people, and the person of the King" and 
"inciting sectarianism" punishable by six months to five 
years in prison. 
 
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King pledges support for freedom of the press 
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6.  (C) The press reported March 8 that the King met with 
board members of the Bahrain Journalists Association and 
pledged to protect freedom of the press.  He said that 
loyalty to the country, however, should always come first. 
This has become a common refrain of the royal family and 
government in dealing with perceived challenges, and was most 
recently used in reaction to perceived Iranian meddling in 
Bahrain's Ashura celebrations. 
 
7.  (C) The Ambassador discussed the issue and the concern it 
was generating with Minister of State for Foreign 
Affairs/Minister of Information Mohammed Abdul Ghaffar March 
9.  Abdul Ghaffar said the case was not an issue for him -- 
the suspects had broken the law and the case was now in the 
courts.  In his personal view, he did not agree with the 
decision to keep the suspects in jail for such a long period 
of time pending trial and said that three days would have 
been sufficient to gather evidence. 
 
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Comment 
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8.  (C) The next hearing in the case comes just days before 
Bahrain hosts the Formula One races April 1-3.  The GOB's 
sensitivities about how the many visitors and journalists in 
town for the race perceive the Kingdom could influence how 
this case plays out. 
MONROE