Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
04MANAMA1658
2004-11-01 14:41:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Manama
Cable title:  

ACTIVISTS SEEK TO LOWER TEMPERATURE FOLLOWING

Tags:  PGOV KDEM ASEC PHUM BA 
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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 MANAMA 001658 

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR DS/IP/NEA, DS/IP/ITA, NEA/ARPI

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/30/2019
TAGS: PGOV KDEM ASEC PHUM BA
SUBJECT: ACTIVISTS SEEK TO LOWER TEMPERATURE FOLLOWING
ARRESTS, PROPERTY DAMAGE IN WEEKEND DEMONSTRATIONS

REF: A. MANAMA 1503

B. MANAMA 1489

C. MANAMA 1482

Classified by Ambassador William T. Monroe for reasons 1.4
(b) and (d).

-------
Summary
-------

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 MANAMA 001658

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR DS/IP/NEA, DS/IP/ITA, NEA/ARPI

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/30/2019
TAGS: PGOV KDEM ASEC PHUM BA
SUBJECT: ACTIVISTS SEEK TO LOWER TEMPERATURE FOLLOWING
ARRESTS, PROPERTY DAMAGE IN WEEKEND DEMONSTRATIONS

REF: A. MANAMA 1503

B. MANAMA 1489

C. MANAMA 1482

Classified by Ambassador William T. Monroe for reasons 1.4
(b) and (d).

--------------
Summary
--------------


1. (C) The Committee to support Shia activist Abdul Hadi Al
Khawaja has decided to stop its protest activities following
a weekend of demonstrations, violence and arrests. A "car
parade" in support of Al Khawaja tied up traffic in Manama
for hours October 28 during peak evening hours for visiting
during this month of Ramadan. Police arrested 25
participants, seized their licenses and suspended their
driving privileges. On October 29, masked young men lured
police to an empty lot and attacked their vehicles with
Molotov cocktails. Police intend to respond forcefully to
additional provocations. President of the closed Bahrain
Center for Human Rights Nabeel Rajab (protect throughout)
told us he is searching for a face-saving way to stop the
escalations and cycle of violence. The Cabinet approved a
draft law imposing new regulations on those wishing to hold
demonstrations. End Summary.

--------------
Committee Calls Off Demonstrations
--------------


2. (C) Nabeel Rajab, president of the closed Bahrain Center
for Human Rights told PolOff October 31 that the 20-member
Committee to Support (Shia activist Abdul Hadi) Al Khawaja
had decided to suspend protest activities until the end of
Ramadan (about November 14). The Committee issued a press
statement later the same day saying the organization would
suspend its activities due to the deteriorating security
situation and acts of violence that had created chaos in many
areas in the last few days. Specifically, it canceled the
protest scheduled for Wednesday, the day of Al Khawaja's next
court session. Rajab told us that the Committee would
proceed with a previously scheduled symposium the evening of
November 1 during which it would solicit suggestions on
"peaceful and positive ways" to support Al Khawaja.

--------------
Car Parade Snarls Traffic Throughout Capital

--------------


3. (C) The move to halt protest activities follows a weekend
of demonstrations, arrests, and property damage. On
Thursday, October 28, the Committee organized a "car parade"
to call for Al Khawaja's release. The organizers envisioned
supporters slowly driving their vehicles in the rightmost
lane in a loop on six-lane major arteries, as they had done
about one month ago with little traffic disruption and no
confrontation with security forces. This time, the parade
caused massive problems. By about 8:00 PM, riot police lined
the major highways in anticipation of the parade to begin at
about 9:00 PM, the peak traveling/visiting time on this
weekend evening during the month of Ramadan. According to
participants in the parade, police blocked off all lanes to
stop the processions. Ministry of Interior (MOI) sources
dispute this, telling RSO that protesters intentionally
parked their vehicles at major intersections. Whatever the
cause, the traffic snarls delayed travelers up to two hours
throughout Manama.


4. (C) At about 9:30 PM, RSO observed from the Embassy as
approximately 150 demonstrators gathered at the McDonald's
intersection adjacent to the Embassy compound. Some 200
police watched and formed ranks to confront the protesters
only when they noticed some of the participants carrying
stones. The protesters then fled the area. At midnight, RSO
observed some 35 young people detained and wearing flex-cuffs
on the median strip of the highway about one mile from the
Embassy. (Note: The Embassy was not targeted in any way;
the McDonald's intersection is a popular location for
demonstrations because protesters can disrupt traffic easily
throughout the area by disturbing the flow of vehicles on
these major roads. End Note.) There are unconfirmed reports
of police using tear gas to disperse protesters who had laid
down in the highway close to the entrance of the causeway to
Saudi Arabia.

--------------
25 Arrests
--------------

5. (C) The press reported October 29 that police had
arrested 25 people, confiscated their licenses, and suspended
their driving privileges for 30 days. Among those arrested
are two human rights activists: spokesperson of the National
Committee for Victims of Torture Abdul Raouf Al Shayeb and
board member Mahmood Ramadan. According to MOI sources, both
Al Shayeb and Ramadan were arrested because they had
organized the event, not for provoking police or disrupting
traffic. Initial charges brought against demonstrators
include illegal assembly, obstructing police from carrying
out their duty, violent acts, and violence against public
sector employees. Charges could bring 5-7 years in jail and
fines up to BD500 ($1,325) per person.

--------------
Evening (Molotov) Cocktails
--------------


6. (C) The following day, prominent Shia cleric Shaikh Isa
Qassim and opposition society Al Wifaq President Shaikh Ali
Salman emphasized in their Friday sermons the importance of
preserving freedoms and expressing support for Al Khawaja in
a peaceful manner. However, that same evening, on October
29, a group of ten young men wearing hoods set fire to trash
bins in an empty lot next to the Bahrain Mall in Sanabis.
When police arrived at the scene, the men threw Molotov
cocktails at the police cars, setting fire to and damaging
one of them. MOI contacts told RSO that they arrested some
of the attackers and are conducting investigations of others.
Police are confident of making additional arrests. The MOI
characterized those arrested as being supporters of Al
Khawaja. These officials expressed their anger at the
intentional manner in which the attackers lured police to the
scene by damaging property and then tossed the Molotov
cocktails. The police warned that they would deal harshly
with additional provocations. Other protesters stoned a
police vehicle the night of October 30 and burned tires the
night of October 31.


7. (C) Rajab told us he had met with MOI Under Secretary
Shaikh Daij bin Khalifa Al Khalifa October 30 to discuss ways
to calm the situation. Rajab reported that he had condemned
the violence and informed Shaikh Daij of the Committee's
decision to suspend activities for the remainder of Ramadan.
Rajab asserted that the Committee organized peaceful
demonstrations only and feared it may not be able to control
the more radical elements among Al Khawaja's supporters, such
as those who had carried out the Molotov cocktail attack. He
commented to us that he and the Committee were now looking
for a face-saving way to stop the escalations and cycle of
violence.

--------------
Draft Law Coming to Parliament
--------------


8. (C) The Cabinet announced October 31 that it had approved
a draft law to regulate rallies and demonstrations. It would
require organizers of rallies and protests to obtain permits
from the relevant governors' offices, and stipulates prison
sentences and fines for those convicted of violations. The
law must be debated in and approved by the Shura and Nowab
Councils (upper and lower houses of parliament) before
entering into force. Leaders of several blocs in the Nowab
have already spoken publicly in support of the draft law.

--------------
Comment
--------------


9. (C) The Committee to Support Al Khawaja has taken itself
out of the game for now, and people are left wondering who is
responsible for the acts of violence against security forces.
Rajab, Isa Qassim and Ali Salman have consistently called
for peaceful acts of protest in support of Al Khawaja. An
unnamed Al Wifaq source told Al Wasat newspaper October 31
that a radical wing of Al Wifaq, outside the control of
Salman, was responsible for the attacks and violence.
Another possibility is that bored youth are taking advantage
of the charged atmosphere to carry out acts of vandalism
devoid of any political meaning or intent.


10. (C) Comment Continued: One effect of the increasingly
confrontational tactics of the opposition and strong security
response has been to bolster the stature and power of the
Prime Minister. He has been at best a lukewarm supporter of
King Hamad's political and economic reform program, and the
friction between the government and the mainly Shia
opposition has permitted him to flex his law-and-order
persona and muscle. He has been hailed as a hero during
recent visits to Ramadan majleses in Sunni strongholds while
the King and Crown Prince Salman have been much less in the
public view. Ironically, Al Khawaja's bid to push the
envelope on freedom of speech and expression may ultimately
lead to greater restrictions in these areas, such as the
draft law that will further regulate demonstrations.

MONROE