US embassy cable - 05KUWAIT2607

UNCLAS KUWAIT 002607 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ARPI AND S/CT 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PTER, KISL, PGOV, KJUS, KU, ISLAMISTS 
SUBJECT: COURT UPHOLDS EXTREMIST HAMAD AL-ALI'S SENTENCE; 
ATTORNEY ASKS FOR HIS RELEASE AND FOR MOI TO PAY HIM $17,000 
 
REF: A. KUWAIT 2258 
     B. KUWAIT 2174 
     C. KUWAIT 1308 
 
1. (U) Kuwait's Supreme Court of Appeals (Mahkamah Al-Tameez) 
upheld on June 7 a two-year suspended sentence of Islamic 
extremist cleric Shaykh Hamad Abdullah Al-Ali (ref C).  The 
court said that Al-Ali had violated the constitution by 
defaming Kuwaiti Amir Shaykh Jabir Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah during 
his sermons at a local mosque.  Although Al-Ali's sentence 
was suspended when he paid a KD 1,000 (approx. USD 3,400) 
fine, the court reminded him that he faced a two-year jail 
sentence if he were found guilty of violating Kuwaiti laws 
within the next three years. 
 
2. (U) Al-Ali was convicted on June 19, 2004 and sentenced to 
two years in jail for a variety of offenses: criticizing the 
Kuwaiti Amir's decision to allow foreign military forces to 
use Kuwaiti territory to launch a war on Iraq, describing 
Arab leaders as traitors and failures, calling for an 
unauthorized demonstration in support of Kuwaiti citizens 
detained in Guantanamo, and hosting a jihadist website that 
included links to bomb-making instructions. 
 
3. (U) In a more recent and unrelated case, Al-Ali was 
detained and arrested in March by Kuwait State Security for 
allegedly collaborating with suspects involved in two January 
shoot-outs with security forces.  He is currently detained 
and on trial for his involvement with the Peninsula Lions 
terror cell.  Mubarak Al-Mutawa, one of Al-Ali's attorneys, 
said Al-Ali was innocent and requested on June 11 that his 
client be released and compensated with KD 5001 (approx. USD 
17,000) by the Interior Ministry for being improperly 
detained and arrested (ref A). 
 
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LEBARON