MORE SUNNI POLITICIANS RALLYING TO EXTREMIST

S E C R E T MANAMA 000913 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/01/2017 TAGS: PTER ASEC PGOV BA SUBJECT: MORE SUNNI POLITICIANS RALLYING TO EXTREMIST PRISONERS REF: A. MANAMA 831 ¶B. MANAMA 820 Classified By: Ambassador Adam Ereli for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (U) Local media reported the September 30 release of three more of the Sunni extremists whom the Bahraini authorities have been rounding up since early August. A member of parliament for the Salafist Asala bloc, Hamoud Khalil Muhannadi, sought to claim credit for the releases. He said the government did not have sufficient evidence against them to obtain convictions, and pledged to continue working, along with other supporters of the detainees, such as the Adala Society (ref A),to pressure the GOB to drop all the charges. ¶2. (S) Bahraini authorities tell post that they continue preparations to prosecute the two prisoners of most concern, who remain in custody. Note: To date the Bahraini authorities have still not publicly released the names of detainees or those released. End note. ¶3. (S) Comment: The GOB has not publicly set out its case against the detainees, apparently because doing so prematurely might prejudice the prosecution. The Justice Minister told Charge last month that the government would likely place its case before a judge (and the public) in early October (ref B). ¶4. (S) Comment continued: This case is rapidly becoming a political cause celebre for conservative Sunnis in Bahrain. Parliament is due to return in mid-October. When it does, Sunni hard-liner MPs will probably intensify their public defense of the prisoners, cause. This constituency is one the Sunni leadership cares about and is sensitive to. The sooner the prosecutors go to a judge and publicly make their case against the detainees, the better. Post will continue to stress to the GOB the importance of proceeding against these detainees in a manner that reinforces Bahrain's counterterrorism reputation. ********************************************* ******** Visit Embassy Manama's Classified Website: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/manama/ ********************************************* ******** ERELI