UPDATE ON JAILED POLITICAL ACTIVIST MATRUK AL-FALEH

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 RIYADH 001022

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT PLEASE PASS TO NEA/ARP ABAGWELL

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/01/2018
TAGS: KJUS KMPI PGOV PHUM SA
SUBJECT: UPDATE ON JAILED POLITICAL ACTIVIST MATRUK AL-FALEH

REF: A. SECSTATE 64901

B. RIYADH 959

Classified By: CG John Kincannon for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) During a June 28 meeting with noted Saudi political
and human rights activist Ibrahim al-Mugaiteeb (protect),
PolOff spoke by telephone with Jameela al-Ughla, wife of
imprisoned Saudi political activist Matruk al-Faleh (Reftel
A, B). An emotionally upset al-Ughla told PolOff that she
had not had any communication with her husband since a May
25, 2008 meeting. (NOTE: Per public reporting, this meeting
was held at the high-security Haer prison, where her husband
was being held, located outside Riyadh. END NOTE.) Al-Ughla
said that since that meeting, she had not received any
information from third parties regarding the condition,
location or charges against her husband, despite repeated
attempts by al-Ughla to contact King Abdullah and the
Ministry of Interior, and ongoing communication with
officials from the Human Rights Commission (HRC). Al-Ughla
said that she is particularly concerned because of her
husband's poor health (al-Faleh is diabetic),and his attempt
to stage a hunger strike in protest of his detention.

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HRC GIVES ACCESS, SPEAKING TO THE MEDIA TAKES IT AWAY?
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2. (C) Though a June 29 Reuters article claims that "After
some pleading, prison officials who felt pity agreed to take
Ukla (sic) to the high-security Haer prison," al-Mugaiteeb
said that the primary reason al-Ughla was given access to her
husband was due to the intervention of HRC Chairman Turki ibn
Khaled al-Sudairi. Al-Mugaiteeb, a member of the HRC, did
not elaborate on the specific bureaucratic actions taken by
al-Sudairi, but stated that the Chairman "set up" the meeting
between husband and wife, working through the Ministry of
Interior (MOI). (NOTE: Al-Mugaiteeb added that, despite the
fact the Commission reports directly to the King, due the
HRC's inability to develop a broad support network among the
highest ranks of the royal family, the influence wielded by
al-Sudairi within interagency battles has diminished
significantly since his appointment to the position in
September 2005. END NOTE).

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POSSIBLE EFFECTS OF AL-FALEH'S DETENTION
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3. (C) The effects of the arrest of al-Faleh go well beyond
the problems experienced by his family. In a June 25
meeting, noted women's rights activist Wajeha al-Huwaider
said that she is acting with a great deal of caution now as
she believes the SAG is in a phase of responding strongly to
punish domestic critics, as evidenced by the Abdullah
al-Hamed and Matruk al-Faleh detentions. She also stated
that these SAG actions are hindering any positive momentum in
creating unofficial grassroots civil organizations, with new
members hard to come by given the perceived threat of
government action.


4. (C) Additionally, al-Mugaiteeb, who holds power of
attorney for al-Faleh, pointed out the curious recent
behavior of famous human rights lawyer Abdulrahman al-Lahem
as another possible example of the consequences of increased
SAG pressure. According to al-Mugaiteeb, al-Lahem, who also
holds power of attorney for al-Faleh, has refused without
explanation two separate requests - one by al-Ughla - to
provide any assistance in al-Faleh's case (NOTE: It is a
common practice for human rights activists in the Kingdom to
hold powers of attorney for one another, this to assist in
accessing information if one is imprisoned. END NOTE).
Al-Mugaiteeb also said that in his role as HRC member he
recently referred a high-profile capital punishment case to
al-Lahem as well, which al-Lahem again refused. Al-Mugaiteeb
said that he believes these unexplained refusals might be
al-Lahem reacting to threats from the Ministry of Interior,
particularly on the sensitive issue of his current travel
ban. Despite not being the subject of any court verdicts or
proceedings, al-Lahem has been banned since 2004 from leaving
Saudi Arabia. The ban, which supposedly lasts five years,
will keep him from traveling to the July 2008 World Justice
Project conference in Vienna, where he is to be recognized
with the American Bar Association's "International Human
Rights Lawyer Award." Al-Lahem had worked with HRC Chairman
al-Sudairi in an attempt to lift the ban, but without
success. According to an HRC statement in a June 24 Arab
News article, the HRC had received no response from the MOI
regarding its request about al-Lahem's status.


5. (C) COMMENT: Human rights advocates in the Kingdom

RIYADH 00001022 002 OF 002


believe that al-Ughla's statements to the national and
international press are a primary cause for the lack of any
communication since the May 25 meeting. According to this
argument, the SAG reacts harshly to efforts to sway
governmental decisions through the use of media, and the
degree of public exposure received by the al-Faleh detention
has made the SAG even more recalcitrant. The argument
continues that, while you may suffer in silence, by staying
quiet and accepting what the SAG offers in the way of
outreach or mercy you will receive less severe treatment.
This advice does not seem to have affected al-Ughla, however,
as she continues to speak to media representatives about her
husband's case. While activists agree on the repercussions
of speaking to the press, there is ongoing debate regarding
how to properly address al-Faleh's situation. While
al-Mugaiteeb has advocated peaceful public demonstrations
that are specific to al-Faleh's case, other human rights
leaders, such as Riyadh-based Ali al-Gudaimi, advocate
continuing to focus on broader issues, rather than specific
cases, and avoiding public spectacles and direct
confrontations. END COMMENT.

(APPROVED: JKINCANNON)
FRAKER