VZCZCXRO7244
PP RUEHDE RUEHDIR
DE RUEHRH #1022/01 1831316
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 011316Z JUL 08
FM AMEMBASSY RIYADH
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8701
INFO RUEHZM/GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

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. 
 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
HRC GIVES ACCESS, SPEAKING TO THE MEDIA TAKES IT AWAY? 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
 
¶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). 
 
---------------------------------------- 
POSSIBLE EFFECTS OF AL-FALEH'S DETENTION 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶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