AYMAN NOUR'S WIFE EXPECTS POSITIVE RULING ON JUNE

C O N F I D E N T I A L CAIRO 001931 SIPDIS SIPDIS NSC FOR WATERS AND DAVIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/24/2017 TAGS: PREL PHUM KDEM EG SUBJECT: AYMAN NOUR'S WIFE EXPECTS POSITIVE RULING ON JUNE 26 REF: A. CAIRO 1361 ¶B. CAIRO 1793 ¶C. CAIRO 1794 Classified By: Counselor for Economic and Political Affairs Catherine Hill-Herndon, for reasons 1.5 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) In a June 22 meeting, Gameela Ismail, wife of imprisoned Al Ghad Party leader Ayman Nour, told poloff that she expects a "ruling in Nour's favor," at a June 26 hearing of Nour's appeal for health-based parole. Ismail is optimistic because the presiding judge at the State Council, Mohamed al Husseini, has been "quite sympathetic" in recent dealings with her and Nour's lawyer, and "is near the end of his career," and therefore presumably not as intimidated about making anti-GOE rulings as younger judges might be. (Note: Husseini was the presiding judge in the May 8 decision of the Supreme Administrative Court to overturn the presidential decree that ordered 40 Muslim Brotherhood members to stand before a military tribunal (ref A). The May 8 ruling was rapidly overruled by a higher court, and the MB members will stand before a military tribunal that is due to restart on July 15. End note). ¶2. (C) Ismail noted that she and Nour's lawyers have submitted three new medical reports to Husseini, from three different panels of doctors at Mansoura, Ain Shams, and Alexandria universities, all which conclude that Nour should be released on health parole, in part because the prison hospital is not sufficient to meet his medical needs should he suffer from a cardiac emergency. According to Ismail, Nour's lawyers also submitted an affidavit from the Egyptian Doctor's Union, attesting to the medical need for Nour to be released. ¶3. (C) While Ismail feels confident that Husseini will decide to release Nour, she expects the GOE to move expeditiously to get the ruling overturned by either the Supreme Administrative Court or another judicial body. If the June 26 ruling is indeed in Nour's favor, Ismail plans to push that the judge's decision be implemented immediately, in accordance with Egyptian law. Ismail has already met with the warden at Torah Prison, where Nour is incarcerated, regarding arrangements to quickly release Nour. Ismail commented that she expects that Nour would be quickly sent back to prison, but that, "even a few days, or a week, for him to be out of his cell, would be amazing." ¶4. (C) Ismail passed poloff two Arabic-language letters from Nour to President Bush, and to the Secretary. We will send the translated texts of the two letters septel. Ismail asked poloff to observe the June 26 hearing; poloff assured her that she will be in attendance. Ismail also confirmed recent press reports that two representatives of the Human Rights Committee of the Inter-Parliamentary Union plan to arrive in Egypt on July 4, and will attempt to visit Nour in prison. JONES