US embassy cable - 05MANAMA551

C O N F I D E N T I A L MANAMA 000551 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ARPI, S/CT, DS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/13/2015 
TAGS: PTER, ASEC, PGOV, BA 
SUBJECT: KING EMPHASIZES NEED FOR COUNTER-TERRORISM LAW 
 
REF: 04 MANAMA 1643 
 
Classified By: DCM Susan L. Ziadeh for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
1.  (SBU) The press reported that the King met with 
parliamentary leaders April 13 to emphasize that a 
counter-terrorism law is necessary to protect Bahrain given 
the growing number of attacks throughout the region and the 
world.  King Hamad told the parliamentarians that they had "a 
responsibility before God" to protect Bahrainis and 
foreigners living in the Kingdom from harm.  He stressed that 
the draft counter-terrorism law which the Cabinet recently 
submitted to parliament (reftel) would not erode 
constitutional freedoms or represent a step backwards in 
Bahrain's democratic reforms.  King Hamad told the 
parliamentarians that they were free to amend the draft law, 
as the legislative branch had the right to do so. 
 
2.  (C) A wide range of parliamentarians, journalists, and 
members of civil society have publicly and privately voiced 
concern about the draft law.  While there is widespread 
recognition that Bahrain should implement counter-terrorism 
legislation, many question whether the draft law defines 
terrorism too broadly and gives too much authority to 
security agencies.  Some have compared the draft law to the 
old State Security Law under which many people were 
imprisoned and tortured in the 1990s. 
 
3.  (C) Separately, Minister of Finance Sheikh Ahmed bin 
Mohamed Al Khalifa told visiting Treasury Deputy Assistant 
Secretary for Terrorism Financing and Financial Crime Daniel 
 
SIPDIS 
Glaser April 13 that the Cabinet's Legal Committee had just 
cleared and passed to the Cabinet proposed amendments to the 
existing anti-money laundering law that would extend the 
provisions and penalties for money laundering to terrorism 
financing.  He anticipated that the Cabinet would act 
promptly to move the legislation to the parliament, and that 
the government would assign the highest priority to gaining 
rapid passage.  He indicated that, unlike the broader 
counter-terrorism legislation, the terrorism financing 
amendments were not controversial and should proceed through 
the National Assembly quickly and smoothly. 
 
4.  (C) Comment:  The King chose to consult with 
parliamentary leaders just one day after returning to Bahrain 
from a two-week absence, signaling the importance of getting 
the CT law passed.  Complaints that the legislation defines 
terrorism too broadly may lead to an iterative process of 
amending the draft law.  The GOB is now grappling with how to 
formulate a law that straddles the need to punish terrorists 
and those planning terrorist acts, while protecting civil 
liberties in a country newly embarked on its reform path. 
MONROE