Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08SANAA89
2008-01-15 14:55:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Sanaa
Cable title:  

KHAWLAN SHIEKHS APPEAL FOR RELEASE OF AL-MOAYED

Tags:  PTER PREL YM 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXYZ0010
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHYN #0089/01 0151455
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 151455Z JAN 08
FM AMEMBASSY SANAA
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 8786
C O N F I D E N T I A L SANAA 000089 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

FOR NEA/ARP

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/14/2018
TAGS: PTER PREL YM
SUBJECT: KHAWLAN SHIEKHS APPEAL FOR RELEASE OF AL-MOAYED

REF: 07 SANAA 2364

Classified By: Ambassador Stephen A. Seche for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)

C O N F I D E N T I A L SANAA 000089

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

FOR NEA/ARP

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/14/2018
TAGS: PTER PREL YM
SUBJECT: KHAWLAN SHIEKHS APPEAL FOR RELEASE OF AL-MOAYED

REF: 07 SANAA 2364

Classified By: Ambassador Stephen A. Seche for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) On January 15, a delegation of Yemeni Sheikhs made a
plea to the Ambassador for the release of convicted terrorist
financier Sheikh Mohammed al-Moayed. The delegation averred
that the Sheikh was a good, charitable man who would not have
supported terrorists. They attempted to cast reconsideration
of the case in the U.S. self-interest. The Ambassador
thanked them for sharing their views and noted that the
Sheikh's case was under appeal. While this delegation showed
the same passion as previous ones, its increased political
savvy suggests a slight change in tactics, as the Sheikh's
supporters search for ways to increase pressure for his
release. End Summary.

A Delegation of Sheikhs
--------------


2. (C) On January 15, a delegation of Sheikhs from the
Khawlan region met with the Ambassador to press the release
of convicted terrorist financier Sheikh Mohammed al-Moayed
and his companion Zaid. Al-Moayed's brother Abbas Ali
al-Moayed and the Sheikh's son Ibrahim Mohammed al-Moayed
came with the delegation. Abbas spoke first and, as he had
in a previous meeting with POLOFF (ref a),extolled the
charitable works of the imprisoned Sheikh and said that "all
the people of Yemen" are united in believing in his
innocence.


3. (C) Abbas then appealed to the Ambassador in a pragmatic
manner. Noting the Ambassador's desire to strengthen the
bilateral relationship and improve the image of the United
States in Yemen, he pointed out that any efforts to have the
Sheikh's conviction overturned would engender a "great
reaction within the country." Conversely, he opined that
positive bilateral counterterrorism cooperation might suffer
from the Sheikh's continued incarceration. He said that, if
al-Moayed, who all Yemenis believe is innocent, continues to
be incarcerated, then Yemenis will "begin to wonder if others
the Americans call terrorists are innocent as well." His
comments were later mirrored by one of the tribal Sheikhs who
said: "We are now confused because we know the Sheikh's
history and (it does not jibe with) what the U.S. is saying."


4. (C) On the topic of the aging Sheikh's health, Ibrahim
said his father suffered from a number of ailments including
hepatitis C, liver disease, diabetes, prostate problems and
ulcers. He went on to note that the Sheikh's companion Zaid
was suffering from mental illness that Ibrahim attributed to
"the bad conditions" of his incarceration. Ibrahim then
began to complain about his father's treatment saying the man
had been kept in solitary confinement and subjected to "hard
labor." (Note: He did not elaborate on what this hard labor
consisted of. End Note) He complained that al-Moayed had
been made to wash the clothes of other prisoners and other
work that would result in unfavorable press reporting for the
United States if the family were to make it public. At this
point, one of the tribal Sheikhs interrupted and asked
Ibrahim to stop, saying that having such a topic discussed
would be a humiliation to al-Moayed's honor.


5. (C) The delegation, representing a group of Khawlan
tribesmen who have been staging a sit-in in support of Sheikh
al-Moayed brought with them a signed letter, copies of a
doctor's reports and, what POLOFF estimates to be 1700 pages
of signed petitions in support of al-Moayed. They asserted
that these petitions had come from just one governorate and
that the Ambassador could find equal support throughout
Yemen. Sheikh Abdullah bin Abdul-Aziz al-Daba, the most
senior of the Sheikhs present, concluded the delegation's
comments by telling the Ambassador, "Moayed and his people
are part of us -- we will not forget or give up on his case."


6. (C) The Ambassador thanked the Sheikhs for coming to speak
to him and said that it was important for him to hear from
them personally so he could convey their views faithfully to
Washington. He commiserated with al-Moayed's son over the
hardship of knowing his father was ill and said that the USG
takes seriously its responsibility for making certain that
the Sheikh received proper medical care. He noted that
al-Moayed was represented by legal counsel and his case was
under appeal. He urged patience until the judicial process
was complete.

Comment
--------------


7. (C) The key messages of this delegation were the same as
the previous civil society delegation (ref a). The most
prominent difference is the addition of more pragmatic
appeals to the USG's self-interest and the thinly veiled
threat of negative publicity. The Sheikh's defenders are
showing increasing political savvy. This case, like that of
the GTMO detainees, is currently very much on the minds of
Yemenis and, if this delegation is representative of the
determination and organization of the Sheikh's defenders,
will continue to be for some time.
SECHE