ITALIAN SCIENTOLOGIST REQUESTS (FURTHER) USG HELP

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 ITALY'>IT UN
SUBJECT: ITALIAN SCIENTOLOGIST REQUESTS (FURTHER) USG HELP
FOR TWO MEMBERS ARRESTED IN EGYPT

REF: CAIRO 2089

CONFIDENTIAL

PAGE 02 ROME 01516 261024Z
CLASSIFIED BY: LABCOUN JAMES EHRMAN. REASON 1.5 (D).

SUMMARY
--------------

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
CONFIDENTIAL

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

PAGE 04 ROME 01516 261024Z
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

>
2002ROME01516 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL