DRL DAS BARKS-RUGGLES MEETING WITH SAUDI HUMAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 RIYADH 008841 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR NEA/ARPI (BSHUKAN, RJACHIM, SWALKER),DRL (RCASTEEL),DRL/IRF (HANFORD, LISTON, LURIE),DRL/NESCA (OZKAN),DRL/MLGA (NOYES) E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/12/2016 TAGS: KDEM OTRA PGOV PHUM SA SUBJECT: DRL DAS BARKS-RUGGLES MEETING WITH SAUDI HUMAN RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS REF: 06 RIYADH 07097 Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission Michael Gfoeller for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). -------------- SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (SBU) DRL DAS Erica Barks-Ruggles met the National Society for Human Rights, the Human Rights Commission, and the Human Rights First Society during her September 12-14 visit to Riyadh. Participants in all three meetings raised U.S. treatment of Homaidan Al-Turki (reftel)and Guantanamo Bay detainees as issues seriously impacting Saudi public opinion about the U.S. These human rights activists outlined new efforts to address human rights issues -- from domestic violence to prison conditions. Despite their acknowledging human rights problems in Saudi Arabia, they clearly are also focusing a good deal of their attention on perceived mistreatment of Saudi nationals abroad ) especially in the U.S. Meeting participants emphasized that the image of the United States has been harmed by its perceived bias on Middle East policy. All welcomed more contact and further engagement with the USG and U.S. human rights organizations. END SUMMARY. -------------- NATIONAL SOCIETY FOR HUMAN RIGHTS (NSHR) -------------- ¶2. (U) DAS Barks-Ruggles met on September 12 with NSHR Chairman Dr. Bandar Mohamad Al-Hajar at the Majlis Ash-Shoura and again at the NSHR headquarters with other NSHR members, including three women and four men. NSHR, a quasi-non-governmental organization founded in March 2004 to address human rights issues in the Kingdom, is headquartered in Riyadh with branch offices in Jeddah, Jazan, and Dammam. Several Majlis Ash-Shoura members are also members of the NSHR. According to Al-Hajar, NSHR has 41 members, 25 percent of whom are women. He claimed that it has received approximately 6,000 complaints from Saudi citizens and non-citizens since its founding. Approximately two percent of the complaints involve domestic abuse, but the number is growing. Al-Hajar also said that the NSHR and the governmental Human Rights Commission (HRC) will meet in October to discuss human rights issues, including information sharing and coordination. ¶3. (U) The NSHR representatives noted their efforts in the Kingdom, telling DAS Barks-Ruggles that, after visiting 16 prisons, NSHR found overcrowded conditions and determined that one-third of prisoners remain in pre-trial detention -- many for extended periods. Some individuals still in custody had, in fact, served time longer than if they had been convicted of the crimes for which they were charged. In addition, prisoners who are foreigners often languish indefinitely in custody even after their sentences are completed because they cannot receive exit visas without proving they have settled their debts in the Kingdom. Additionally, they must either purchase plane tickets home or have their Saudi sponsors/employers do so. NSHR reported that the King or other members of the royal family have in the past paid these expenses so that these foreign workers ) who are often destitute ) can be released. ¶4. (SBU) In turning to issues affecting women and other minorities in the Kingdom, the NSHR members reported a new and growing focus in public opinion on domestic abuse ) often termed family safety to avoid controversy. While less than three percent of petitions received thus far by the NSHR involve domestic abuse, that number is growing as education about the issue grows. The NSHR members reported that the lack of adequate emergency and longer-term shelters for women and children in need is a problem in the Kingdom. The Social Affairs Ministry runs some shelters, but for cultural and religious reasons, it is difficult to get adequate support for safehouses for female victims of domestic violence. Additionally, there are some SAG efforts underway to improve public awareness of these issues, as well as those relating to foreign domestic workers. For example, the Labor Ministry publishes a brochure ) in English and Arabic - on workers, rights and obligations, which is available at all ports of entry and foreign embassies. There have also been several public media campaigns stressing employers, duties under RIYADH 00008841 002 OF 004 Islam towards their domestic workers. DAS Barks-Ruggles urged meeting participants to link up with the Ministries of Justice and Labor to learn more about recently initiated anti-trafficking efforts. ¶5. (SBU) Dr. Al-Hajar and other NSHR members raised two issues of concern as well: the Homaidan Al-Turki case and Guantanamo Bay detainees. (NOTE: The Homaidan Al-Turki case was raised in virtually every meeting and event during DAS Barks-Ruggles visit. END NOTE.) After a lengthy discourse about Saudi public perception that Al-Turki received an unfairly lengthy sentence, the NSHR members also raised specific concerns about his treatment (including access to appropriate diet, medical care, etc.). DAS Barks-Ruggles followed up with Colorado State Department of Corrections and passed information back through Embassy Riyadh on September ¶21. ¶6. (SBU) On Guantanamo, DAS Barks-Ruggles explained the President,s publicly stated desire to close the facility as soon as possible, noting that the U.S. would do so consonant with its responsibilities to bring those responsible for violent crimes to justice, ensure the security of the American people and fulfill its treaty obligations not to return foreigners (including Guantanamo detainees) to countries where they are more likely than not to be tortured. -------------- HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION (HRC) -------------- ¶7. (SBU) DAS Barks-Ruggles met on September 13 with HRC Chairman Turki Al-Sudairy and other HRC members. Al-Sudairy said the HRC is a new organization, ten months old, and that "very soon" the King will name the 24 members of the Board (i.e., 18 full-time and 6 part-time members). It currently has 150 employees and six committees. (NOTE: It was obvious from the quick tour of the premises in a brand-new, not-yet-fully-completed building that the Saudi HRC is still getting on its feet. END NOTE.) While all HRC Board members are now men, the HRC will have female employees and advisors, he said. Al-Sudairy explained that some of the HRC Board members will also be members of the Majlis Ash-Shoura, as well as lawyers, academics, and SAG employees. He promised that the HRC Board will discuss major issues -- not smaller issues -- emphasizing that it will monitor human rights and ensure consistency with Shari,a law. Al-Sudairy stressed that Islam already emphasizes human rights, so the subject is not new to the KSA, although he conceded that Saudis need to be better educated regarding human rights. He said that the HRC already has received 900 complaints from private citizens thus far. ¶8. (SBU) Al-Sudairy emphasized that the HRC reports to the King and deals with complaints about the SAG, while the NSHR deals with complaints against individuals and groups of individuals. He said that a royal decree requires all SAG ministers to respond to an HRC inquiry within three weeks. Some ministries have not met this deadline, he said, but this is improving. Al-Sudairy noted that the HRC can visit any institution, including prisons, without prior permission or notice. The HRC has branch offices in the Eastern Province and the western part of the Kingdom, and will eventually open other branch offices. He described a good working relationship with the NSHR and said the HRC also fully cooperates with international organizations and human rights groups, although he acknowledged that this effort is still in its infancy. Al-Sudiariy continued that the King Abdul-Aziz Center for National Dialogue (KAACND),which is holding preparatory meetings throughout the KSA, has asked the HRC to participate in the Sixth National Dialogue. (NOTE: The Sixth National Dialogue is scheduled to begin in February or March 2007. Preparatory meetings are currently underway. END NOTE.) ¶9. (SBU) Al-Sudairy and other HRC members stressed that the U.S. image has been damaged in the eyes of Saudi citizens by perceived U.S. imbalance in its support for Israel during the conflict in Lebanon, as well as press reports of harassment and perceived abuse of Saudis in the U.S. and/or U.S. custody elsewhere. They urged that the U.S. more proactively ) including through the Embassy in Riyadh ) reach out on human rights issues and explain U.S. positions. Americans need to engage more with Saudis, Al-Sudairy said, including opening RIYADH 00008841 003 OF 004 &American Corners8 in the Kingdom. Al-Sudairy urged Post to conduct regular briefings to explain U.S. policy and actions, stressing that &soft power8 is better than force. Meeting participants agreed with DAS Barks-Ruggles that exchanges of Americans and Saudis ) not just government officials -- should be increased, including possible reciprocal visits between U.S. human rights-oriented NGOs and the HRC. DAS Barks-Ruggles emphasized that the USG and the SAG are reinforcing ties both on a government-to-government level, but also through encouraging increased citizen and civil society interaction. -------------- HUMAN RIGHTS FIRST SOCIETY (HRFS) -------------- ¶10. (C) DAS Barks-Ruggles met privately with HRC member and President of Human Rights First Society (HRFS) Ibrahim Al-Mugaiteeb at his request, who announced that the HRC Deputy Chairman had given Al-Mugaigeeb, who is not a Shi,a himself but advocates for equal rights for Shi,a, a letter warning him that his HRC membership could be at risk if he continued to sign as HRFS President petitions relating to human rights issues. Al-Mugaiteeb pointed out that HRC Chairman Al-Sudairy had not signed this warning letter because he did not agree with it. He had assured Al-Mugaiteeb that, if he joined the HRC, his independence would not be jeopardized. ¶11. (C) Al-Mugaiteeb claimed that the SAG is discriminating against Shi'a, including Ismailis, in granting scholarships for study abroad. He alleged that the head of the highest Saudi court called Ismailis "heretics" and "non-believers." Al-Mugaiteeb claimed that the SAG has made no progress on women,s rights, stating that first the SAG must recognize the legal identity of women, then women should be given equal access to training and jobs. However, he warned, the focus should be on what Saudi women actually want -- not what Americans think Saudi women want or should want. ¶12. (C) Al-Mugaiteeb claimed reformers felt betrayed by the Secretary after her news conference upon the conclusion of SIPDIS the November 2005 Strategic Dialogue when she stated her satisfaction with the SAG and Foreign Minister Al-Faisal. He said the USG should realize that its strategic interests lie with the Saudi people not with the Al-Saud royal family. He also said Saudi reformers were disappointed when the USG did nothing to prevent the imprisonment of members of the Committee for the Defense of Legitimate Rights in Saudi Arabia (CDLR). (NOTE: Al-Mugaiteeb did not indicate to which CDLR members he was referring. END NOTE.) He acknowledged that behind the scenes government-to-government discussions could help push the SAG to reform, but he also urged more public statements. ¶13. (C) Al-Mugaiteeb claimed that the most important thing the SAG could do would be to grant and respect freedom of association and assembly, as well as freedom of speech, including through registering genuine NGOs such as his. However, he said that the Al-Saud royal family will not do this because it would mean giving up control and would be seen as an erosion of their power. He claimed that the royal family is afraid of and does not trust the Saudi people. He cited two examples of SAG resistance to non-governmental organizations. He lamented that the HRFS still is unable to get a license from the SAG so it operates without official permission. He said that the SAG insisted that two organizations merge in order for them get permission to educate and provide outreach to people in the Al-Hasa region regarding a genetic condition caused by too much inter-marriage. ¶14. (C) Al-Mugaiteeb was pessimistic about democracy broadening and deepening in the KSA, claiming that the 2005 municipal council elections were undermined by the lack of freedom of assembly and speech, as well as by inadequate preparation of the electorate as to the process and what it meant. He cited the &Golden Lists8 as an example of how pre-existing groups organized themselves and others in order to prevail in the elections. This clandestine, supposedly prohibited, action gave religious conservatives an advantage at the expense of liberals and reformers. Once Saudis are adequately educated about democracy, Al-Mugaiteeb believes that they should choose their representatives at all levels of government. RIYADH 00008841 004 OF 004 -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶15. (SBU) Despite questions regarding USG policies in the Middle East, these Saudi human rights groups appeared eager to work with the USG on capacity building and information sharing. These meetings highlighted the importance of a planned, proactive engagement by the USG with the SAG and the Saudi public regarding human rights and democracy. END COMMENT. ¶16. (U) This cable has been cleared by DAS Barks-Ruggles. OBERWETTER