DRL DAS BARKS-RUGGLES PROMOTES U.S. HUMAN RIGHTS

UNCLAS DOHA 000482 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM PREL KPAO QA SUBJECT: DRL DAS BARKS-RUGGLES PROMOTES U.S. HUMAN RIGHTS REPORTING IN QATAR AND ON AL JAZEERA ¶1. (U) SUMMARY: Deputy Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor Erica Barks-Ruggles emphasized the importance of USG human rights reporting at an event on June 12 organized by the Brookings Doha Center. After her remarks, Barks-Ruggles answered a number of questions from audience members, many of whom expressed doubts over the USG's commitment to human rights defenders in the region and its own credibility. The session was aired on Al Jazeera Mubasher, a channel within the Al Jazeera Network that normally broadcasts international conference deliberations, in prime evening slots on June 14 and 15. Only one local newspaper covered the event, offering straightforward reporting in English. A blog maintained by students visiting from U.S. universities carried a negative piece. The event was a valuable contribution to post's efforts to engage in a dialogue on human rights, but unfortunately one that Qatari nationals seem to have ignored. END SUMMARY ¶2. (U) Invited by the Brookings Institution's Doha branch to lead a discussion on human rights in the Gulf region, DAS Barks-Ruggles delivered remarks explaining the role and history of human rights reporting in USG foreign policy making. She also emphasized the rigorous fact-checking process to which the United States' annual reports are subjected to, and encouraged civil society leaders to take more of a stake in their country's development by promoting values that protect human rights. ¶3. (U) Barks-Ruggles took questions from an audience of about 100 guests, Brookings' largest event since it officially opened its doors earlier this year, but who were almost exclusively non-Qatari. Questions ranged from why the U.S. does not do more to defend human rights activists overseas to how the USG could see itself as a moral authority given past allegations of human rights abuses at Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib. Raising a question that is heard at nearly every public event involving a USG official in Doha, one audience member asked why the USG does not deal with HAMAS, even though the organization was elected by the Palestinian people. ¶4. (U) During a small reception after the break, the questions were much less pointed, with some audience members offering warm praise for Barks-Ruggles' initiative in leading the event, and for the USG continuing to speak up about human rights. Some students on a visit organized by the American University of Cairo (AUC),which included Americans and Egyptians, even requested pictures with the DAS. ¶5. (U) Media coverage of the event included largely unedited broadcast via Al Jazeera Mubasher, that network's rough equivalent to CSPAN, dubbed in Arabic. Only the Doha-based English-language daily "Gulf Times," circulation approximately 30,000, ran an article on the event, with straightforward reporting. A blog entry written by an American student with the AUC group offered negative commentary, noting that Barks-Ruggles' job was "already tough, but we might as well make it impossible" by asking questions that make the USG uncomfortable regarding its own human rights record. ¶6. (U) COMMENT: Doha's English-speaking residents are mostly well aware of the human rights challenges that exist here and in other Gulf countries, but only Qatari nationals have the decision-making authority to actually improve conditions. Reaching that audience has proven exceptionally difficult, and while some Qataris may have seen the Brookings event on Al Jazeera, it did not spark any reaction in the local Arabic press, which is what Qataris read. While post has been successful recently in opening a discussion of human rights in the Arabic press, it is clear from events like this that most of our outreach on this issue is going to have to rely on diplomacy the old-fashioned way: face-to-face discussions with Qataris. END COMMENT RATNEY