BAHRAINIS TO WATCH ABU GHRAIB TORTURE TRIALS

C O N F I D E N T I A L MANAMA 000721

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/17/2014
TAGS: MOPS PHUM PREL KPAO BA
SUBJECT: BAHRAINIS TO WATCH ABU GHRAIB TORTURE TRIALS
CAREFULLY

Classified By: CDA Robert S. Ford, reason 1.5 (d)


1. (C) The editor in chief of the Akhbar al-Khaleej
newspaper group told CDA and PAO over lunch on May 16 that
the U.S. can regain some of its lost credibility with the
Bahraini public if the soldiers responsible for torture at
Abu Gharieb prison are punished sternly and visibly. He
expects the Bahraini public will follow the trials with very
keen interest. Some Bahrainis, including his children
studying in the U.S., anticipate the soldiers will be
expelled from the Army but released upon return to the U.S.
Such an outcome would further reinforce widespread public
sentiment that the American Government is not really
interested in human rights in Iraq or anywhere else in the
Arab World.


2. (C) The editor said that by contrast if the trials are
serious, explain the evidence fully and publicly, and serious
prison terms result, many Bahrainis will conclude that the
torture was truly the work of only a relatively small group
and not a broader systemic problem. The editor said the very
best thing the U.S. Government could do would be to hold
serious trials and ensure they are broadcast on television,
including Arabic satellite networks. He had no doubt
millions of Arabs would watch the coverage closely. He
opined that Bahrain TV, for example, would surely cary the
trials locally by linking to the satellite channels.


3. (C) Speaking separately, the University of Bahrain
president told PAO on May 16 that the transparency so far of
the American investigation was a plus and was limiting to a
small extent the real damage to American credibility.


4. (C) Comment: These comments track with what we are
hearing from other contacts in Bahrain about the importance
of the trials. Meeting with us privately May 15 the Foreign
Minister, for example, said the most important thing for the
U.S. Government now is to hold the trials and punish the
guilty. It was striking that the Akhbar al-Khaleej editor,
one of the most strident opponents of U.S. policy in the
region, thought the trails help restore some of our
credibility, especially if the trials were aired on TV.
FORD