THREE BAHRAINI DETAINEES ARRIVE, RELEASED AFTER

C O N F I D E N T I A L MANAMA 001627 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/05/2015 TAGS: PTER KAWC PREL PHUM PINR BA SUBJECT: THREE BAHRAINI DETAINEES ARRIVE, RELEASED AFTER QUESTIONING Classified By: Ambassador William T. Monroe. Reasons: 1.4 (b)(d) ¶1. (C) Three Bahraini Guantanamo detainees, approved for transfer back to Bahrain, arrived in Bahrain at 9:15 AM November 5 via USG transportation. Upon arrival at the airport, the three -- Shaikh Salman Ebrahim Mohammed Ali Al Khalifa, Adil Kamil Abdullah Al Wadi, and Abdullah Al Noaimi -- were transferred without incident to the office of the public prosecutor for questioning. At 12:30 PM on November 5, Foreign Minister Shaikh Khalid Al Khalifa called the Ambassador to say that the Attorney General had determined that, based on the initial interrogation, the three would be released to their homes "on the guarantee of their home address." Asked the legal significance of that, Shaikh Khalid said that they would not be under house arrest but would be kept under 24-hour surveillance (both movements and communications),would not be allowed to leave the country (their passports would be held),and would be called in for further questioning. While they have not been charged, he said, they would be treated as if they had been charged with a crime. ¶2. (C) Separately, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Mohammed Abdel Ghaffar called the Ambassador November 5 to say that he had met the night before with the families of the three returned detainees, as well as leading advocates on behalf of the detainees (including members of the Council of Representatives and Shura Council) to urge a calm and measured reaction to the news of the return of the three detainees (and the continued detention of the remaining three). He told the families that they and their returned detainees should maintain a low public profile, including with the press. He said that the detainees would be handled in a professional and legal way, and that emphasis would be placed on psychological help and rehabilitation. MONROE