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 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