KHAWLAN SHIEKHS APPEAL FOR RELEASE OF AL-MOAYED

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