VISIT TO PRISONER NABIL SOLIMAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L CAIRO 001330 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR DRL, CA/OCS, AND NEA/ELA E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/07/2017 TAGS: PHUM PTER CASC KISL EG SUBJECT: VISIT TO PRISONER NABIL SOLIMAN REF: A. 02 CAIRO 8561 ¶B. 02 CAIRO 6152 ¶C. 03 CAIRO 2300 Classified By: Minister-Counselor for Economic and Political Affairs William R. Stewart, for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Poloff conducted a human rights monitoring visit to prisoner Nabil Soliman on May 6. Returned by the U.S. to Egypt in June 2002, Soliman was subsequently convicted of membership in the Islamic Jihad, and sentenced to five years in prison. He is now being held at the Torah Liman Prison, a sub-unit of a larger prison complex at Torah, 15 miles south of central Cairo. The prison warden and his assistant attended poloff's 45-minute meeting with Soliman, and confirmed that Soliman's five-year sentence is due to end on June 12. ¶2. (C) In response to poloff's queries, Soliman stated that, "I am treated well here ... No one is torturing or mistreating me." Soliman did complain, however, that when moved three months ago to Torah Liman Prison (he was previously incarcerated at Istiqbal Prison),all of his possessions (blanket, radio, books) were stolen from him. He also noted that while he is not personally being tortured, he has witnessed other prisoners being tortured; "they are beating people here, hanging prisoners up and hitting them, making prisoners stand outside naked in cold temperatures, and tying their feet down and whipping them." ¶3. (C) Soliman noted that he is due to be released on June 12, and asked poloff to follow up with the appropriate Egyptian authorities to ensure that he is indeed freed, which poloff assured him she would do. Following his anticipated release, Soliman hopes to get a job ("I have been studying for a law degree for the past several years, and will take my final exams in July"),and to file a lawsuit against the USG for "illegally extraditing me to Egypt, when there is no extradition treaty between the two countries, and for the torture I initially suffered upon my return to Egypt." (Note: Per reftels, Soliman alleged that upon his return to Egypt in 2002, while being interrogated by Egyptian intelligence, he was tortured with an electric shock device and was beaten on the soles of his feet. End note). Soliman asked for USG assistance, both in terms of initial financial support upon his release, and legal advice about how best to pursue his planned case against the USG. Poloff advised him that the USG would not be able to provide monetary or legal assistance. RICCIARDONE