VZCZCXRO8702
PP RUEHDE RUEHDIR
DE RUEHMK #0118 0581426
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 271426Z FEB 08
FM AMEMBASSY MANAMA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7626
INFO RUEHZM/GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RHBVAKS/COMUSNAVCENT  PRIORITY
RHMFIUU/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY

UNCLAS MANAMA 000118 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE FOR NEA AND DRL 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV ASEC PHUM BA
SUBJECT: TRIAL OF DECEMBER RIOTERS 
 
REF: A. MANAMA 77 
     ¶B. MANAMA 51 
 
¶1. (U) Summary: The trial of fifteen men arrested in 
connection with the December riots resumed without incident. 
Defense lawyers ended their boycott and were present when the 
court formally charged the defendants.  All pled "not 
guilty," and the judge set the next hearing for March 17. 
Several accused stated that they had been physically and 
mentally abused in pre-trial custody.  The judge agreed to a 
defense request for new medical examinations to investigate 
the defendants' claims.  Family, human rights activists, and 
media were also present for the hearing, and the detainees 
were permitted to visit briefly with their families.  End 
summary. 
 
¶2. (U) Manama's High Criminal Court resumed the trial of the 
15 December riot defendants on February 24 amid tight 
security.  The defendants appeared along with their attorneys 
and pled "not guilty" to a list of charges that included 
assaulting a police officer, stealing a police weapon, 
illegal possession of a police weapon, stealing ammunition 
magazines, burning a police vehicle, and participating in an 
illegal demonstration.  (Note: Contrary to ref A report that 
the charges included attempted murder, the charges as read 
out during the hearing did not include attempted murder, only 
assaulting a police officer.  End note.) 
 
¶3. (SBU) According to press reports, several of the 
defendants told the judge that they had been subjected to 
sleep deprivation, forced to stand for long periods, placed 
in restraints for long periods, and stripped naked.  Mohammed 
Al-Singace repeated his claim (widely reported by Shi'a 
activists and human rights organizations) that he had been 
subjected to sexual abuse while in custody.  (Note:  As 
reported ref B, a Ministry of Interior forensic doctor had 
examined the defendants in January and reported finding no 
evidence to support their claims.  End note.) Defense 
attorneys requested that the court allow new doctors to 
conduct further examinations of the defendants and 
investigate their allegations.  Judge Muhammed bin Ali 
Al-Khalifa initially denied the motion, then reversed his 
decision on February 25.  The judge ordered Minister of 
Health Dr. Faisal Al-Hamer to appoint a panel of doctors from 
the Ministry of Health to examine the defendants in light of 
their allegations and present its findings to the 
court before the next hearing on March 17. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Two local human rights activists, Mohammed 
Al-Maskati and Abdullah Al-Derazi, were present in the 
courtroom for the hearing along with designated local 
representatives for the International Federation of Human 
Rights (FIDH) and Human Rights Watch.  Al-Maskati represented 
Defend International, while Al-Derazi attended on behalf of 
the Bahrain Human Rights Society.  Al-Derazi (please protect) 
told poloff that the Bahraini authorities "did everything 
right procedurally" at the February 24 hearing, and that the 
judge agreed to enter the abuse allegations into the record. 
He said that each defendant had two relatives in the 
courtroom and that they were permitted to visit with those 
family members for approximately ten minutes at the 
conclusion of the hearing.  Al-Derazi, who maintains close 
contact with the defense attorneys, also confirmed that the 
judge had agreed to allow a medical examination of the 
detainees. 
 
¶5. (SBU) The defendants' supporters continue seeking to focus 
public attention on the trial.  On February 22, they staged a 
licensed demonstration in central Manama.  Riot police were 
present, but did not intervene, as 500-600 people carried 
banners (many in English) demanding the release of the 
detainees.  By comparison, some 8,000 people participated the 
next day in a licensed demonstration against the 
re-publication of the Danish cartoons. 
 
********************************************* ******** 
Visit Embassy Manama's Classified Website: 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/manama/ 
********************************************* ******** 
ERELI