WEBSITE ADMINISTRATORS REFUSE BAIL OFFER, REMAIN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MANAMA 000363

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/ARPI, DRL

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/13/2015
TAGS: PHUM PGOV PREL BA
SUBJECT: WEBSITE ADMINISTRATORS REFUSE BAIL OFFER, REMAIN
IN DETENTION

REF: MANAMA 281

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

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Summary
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1. (SBU) In a meeting with the public prosecutor March 13,
three Internet website administrators who were detained two
weeks ago rejected a bail offer and chose to remain in jail
until their next hearing in 15 days. Following the meeting,
the detainees' supporters gathered for a protest and vowed to
demonstrate weekly until the three are released. The
detainees began a hunger strike on March 12 but ended it a
day later when they were moved to a different jail. Minister
of State for Foreign Affairs / Information Minister Abdul
Ghaffar told the Ambassador that the three had broken the law
and the case was now properly in the courts.

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Internet administrators detained, begin hunger strike
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2. (SBU) In a meeting with the public prosecutor March 13,
Ali Abdul Imam, Sayed Mohammed Al Mousawi, and Hussein
Yousef, who were arrested in late February and charged with
incitement against the government and spreading false rumors,
rejected an offer to be released on bail and will remain in
jail. The public prosecutor offered to release each of the
three administrators of the Bahrain On-Line website on BD
1000 (USD 2700) bail on the condition that they remain in the
country. The administrators, whose next hearing is in 15
days, said they are innocent and will remain in custody until
they are freed without charge. Following the meeting,
approximately 50 of the detainees' supporters gathered for a
protest. Borrowing the U.S. color-coded threat categories,
demonstrators wore ORANGE to signify a "high" level of threat
against freedom of expression in Bahrain. Some of the
protesters chained themselves together and held signs and
broken computer keyboards. They vowed to demonstrate weekly
until the detainees are released.


3. (C) All three detainees, who were being held at the Hoora
Police Station, began a hunger strike March 12 to demand
safer, more sanitary cells and pens and paper to write
letters to their families. The sister of one of the
detainees told EmbOff that the three were being held in a
cell with drug addicts and other criminals. On March 13,
they were moved to the Dry Dock Prison, where standards are
reputably higher, and ended their hunger strike.

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Campaign of support for the detainees
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4. (SBU) Shi'a religious leaders spoke out in support of the
detainees, and some of their statements were posted on
Bahrain On-Line. In his March 4 Friday sermon, prominent
Shi'a cleric Sheikh Issa Qassem urged the GOB to release the
detainees and commented that the media must be clean,
objective and constructive in its criticisms of the
government. Shi'a Sheikh Mohamed Ali Al Mahfood called the
arrest an insult to reforms and accused the GOB of
subjectively implementing the law. Several political
societies and civil society organizations have also called
for the detainees' release.


5. (SBU) Other supporters both inside and outside of Bahrain
regularly contribute to a website dedicated to the release of
the detainees (http://freeali.blogspot.com). The website
includes links to articles on the case as well as links to
other websites that support the detainees. Reporters Without
Borders called for the release of the detainees and said the
November 2002 press law should be changed. According to the
group's website, the press law guarantees the right to
"express one's opinion and to disseminate it orally or in
writing," but deems anything "against the Islamic faith, the
unity of the people, and the person of the King" and
"inciting sectarianism" punishable by six months to five
years in prison.

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King pledges support for freedom of the press
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6. (C) The press reported March 8 that the King met with
board members of the Bahrain Journalists Association and
pledged to protect freedom of the press. He said that
loyalty to the country, however, should always come first.
This has become a common refrain of the royal family and
government in dealing with perceived challenges, and was most
recently used in reaction to perceived Iranian meddling in
Bahrain's Ashura celebrations.


7. (C) The Ambassador discussed the issue and the concern it
was generating with Minister of State for Foreign
Affairs/Minister of Information Mohammed Abdul Ghaffar March

9. Abdul Ghaffar said the case was not an issue for him --
the suspects had broken the law and the case was now in the
courts. In his personal view, he did not agree with the
decision to keep the suspects in jail for such a long period
of time pending trial and said that three days would have
been sufficient to gather evidence.

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Comment
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8. (C) The next hearing in the case comes just days before
Bahrain hosts the Formula One races April 1-3. The GOB's
sensitivities about how the many visitors and journalists in
town for the race perceive the Kingdom could influence how
this case plays out.
MONROE