

Currently released so far... 6230 / 251,287
Articles
Browse latest releases
2010/12/01
2010/12/02
2010/12/03
2010/12/04
2010/12/05
2010/12/06
2010/12/07
2010/12/08
2010/12/09
2010/12/10
2010/12/11
2010/12/12
2010/12/13
2010/12/14
2010/12/15
2010/12/16
2010/12/17
2010/12/18
2010/12/19
2010/12/20
2010/12/21
2010/12/22
2010/12/23
2010/12/24
2010/12/25
2010/12/26
2010/12/27
2010/12/28
2010/12/29
2010/12/30
2011/01/01
2011/01/02
2011/01/04
2011/01/05
2011/01/07
2011/01/09
2011/01/10
2011/01/11
2011/01/12
2011/01/13
2011/01/14
2011/01/15
2011/01/16
2011/01/17
2011/01/18
2011/01/19
2011/01/20
2011/01/21
2011/01/22
2011/01/23
2011/01/24
2011/01/25
2011/01/26
2011/01/27
2011/01/28
2011/01/29
2011/01/30
2011/01/31
2011/02/01
2011/02/02
2011/02/03
2011/02/04
2011/02/05
2011/02/06
2011/02/07
2011/02/08
2011/02/09
2011/02/10
2011/02/11
2011/02/12
2011/02/13
2011/02/14
2011/02/15
2011/02/16
2011/02/17
2011/02/18
2011/02/19
2011/02/20
2011/02/21
2011/02/22
2011/02/23
2011/02/24
2011/02/25
2011/02/26
2011/02/27
2011/02/28
2011/03/01
2011/03/02
2011/03/03
2011/03/04
2011/03/05
2011/03/06
2011/03/07
2011/03/08
2011/03/09
2011/03/10
2011/03/11
2011/03/13
2011/03/14
2011/03/15
2011/03/16
2011/03/17
2011/03/18
2011/03/19
2011/03/20
2011/03/21
Browse by creation date
Browse by origin
Embassy Athens
Embassy Asuncion
Embassy Astana
Embassy Asmara
Embassy Ashgabat
Embassy Ankara
Embassy Amman
Embassy Algiers
Embassy Addis Ababa
Embassy Accra
Embassy Abuja
Embassy Abu Dhabi
Embassy Abidjan
Consulate Amsterdam
American Institute Taiwan, Taipei
Embassy Bujumbura
Embassy Buenos Aires
Embassy Budapest
Embassy Bucharest
Embassy Brussels
Embassy Bridgetown
Embassy Bratislava
Embassy Brasilia
Embassy Bogota
Embassy Bishkek
Embassy Bern
Embassy Berlin
Embassy Belgrade
Embassy Beirut
Embassy Beijing
Embassy Banjul
Embassy Bangkok
Embassy Bandar Seri Begawan
Embassy Bamako
Embassy Baku
Embassy Baghdad
Consulate Barcelona
Embassy Copenhagen
Embassy Conakry
Embassy Colombo
Embassy Chisinau
Embassy Caracas
Embassy Canberra
Embassy Cairo
Consulate Curacao
Consulate Ciudad Juarez
Consulate Chennai
Consulate Casablanca
Consulate Cape Town
Embassy Dushanbe
Embassy Dublin
Embassy Doha
Embassy Djibouti
Embassy Dhaka
Embassy Dar Es Salaam
Embassy Damascus
Embassy Dakar
Consulate Dubai
Embassy Kyiv
Embassy Kuwait
Embassy Kuala Lumpur
Embassy Kinshasa
Embassy Kigali
Embassy Khartoum
Embassy Kathmandu
Embassy Kampala
Embassy Kabul
Consulate Kolkata
Embassy Luxembourg
Embassy Luanda
Embassy London
Embassy Ljubljana
Embassy Lisbon
Embassy Lima
Embassy Lilongwe
Embassy La Paz
Consulate Lagos
Mission USNATO
Embassy Muscat
Embassy Moscow
Embassy Montevideo
Embassy Monrovia
Embassy Minsk
Embassy Mexico
Embassy Mbabane
Embassy Maputo
Embassy Manama
Embassy Managua
Embassy Malabo
Embassy Madrid
Consulate Munich
Consulate Mumbai
Consulate Montreal
Consulate Monterrey
Consulate Milan
Embassy Pristina
Embassy Pretoria
Embassy Prague
Embassy Port Au Prince
Embassy Phnom Penh
Embassy Paris
Embassy Paramaribo
Embassy Panama
Consulate Peshawar
REO Basrah
Embassy Rome
Embassy Riyadh
Embassy Riga
Embassy Reykjavik
Embassy Rangoon
Embassy Rabat
Consulate Rio De Janeiro
Consulate Recife
Secretary of State
Embassy Stockholm
Embassy Sofia
Embassy Skopje
Embassy Singapore
Embassy Seoul
Embassy Sarajevo
Embassy Santo Domingo
Embassy Santiago
Embassy Sanaa
Embassy San Salvador
Embassy San Jose
Consulate Strasbourg
Consulate Shenyang
Consulate Shanghai
Consulate Sao Paulo
Embassy Tunis
Embassy Tripoli
Embassy Tokyo
Embassy The Hague
Embassy Tel Aviv
Embassy Tehran
Embassy Tegucigalpa
Embassy Tbilisi
Embassy Tashkent
Embassy Tallinn
Consulate Tijuana
USUN New York
USEU Brussels
US Mission Geneva
US Interests Section Havana
US Delegation, Secretary
UNVIE
Embassy Ulaanbaatar
Browse by tag
ASEC
AF
AE
AR
AORC
AJ
AU
AM
ABLD
AL
AMGT
ASUP
AFIN
APER
ABUD
AVERY
APCS
AEMR
ADCO
APECO
ASIG
AG
AA
AS
AFFAIRS
ASECKFRDCVISKIRFPHUMSMIGEG
AMED
AO
ACOA
AX
AROC
ATFN
ASEAN
AFGHANISTAN
AFU
AER
ALOW
AODE
ATRN
AID
AC
AGMT
CH
CO
CS
CE
CU
CLINTON
CG
CVIS
CMGT
CI
CJAN
CF
COM
CASC
CA
CBW
CM
CDG
CR
COUNTER
CD
CWC
CKGR
CN
CPAS
CJUS
CV
CONS
CT
CY
COUNTERTERRORISM
CIA
CACM
CDB
CAN
COE
COUNTRY
CLEARANCE
CACS
CONDOLEEZZA
CARSON
CL
CIS
CODEL
CTM
CB
ECON
EFIN
EAIR
EUN
EINV
ENRG
EG
ETRD
EPET
ETTC
ELAB
EU
ER
ET
EAGR
ECPS
ECIN
ELTN
EAID
EMIN
EWWT
EFIS
EIND
EC
ES
EN
EI
ENVR
ENGR
ENIV
EUNCH
ENVI
ETRDEINVECINPGOVCS
ELN
EZ
EXTERNAL
EINVECONSENVCSJA
EINT
EUR
ECINECONCS
ENNP
EFINECONCS
EK
ELECTIONS
ECUN
EINVEFIN
ECIP
EINDETRD
EUC
EREL
ECA
ENERG
ENGY
ETRO
EFTA
ECONCS
ECONOMICS
ECONEFIN
EINVETC
EINN
ESA
ETC
ETRDEINVTINTCS
ESENV
ETRDECONWTOCS
IN
IC
IR
IZ
IS
IAEA
IT
ICTY
IO
IA
IWC
ID
ICRC
ILC
INTELSAT
IMO
ISRAELI
IACI
ILO
ITRA
IBRD
IMF
ICJ
ICAO
ITALY
ITALIAN
IRAQI
INTERPOL
IV
IQ
IPR
INRB
ITPHUM
IIP
IL
INR
ITPGOV
IZPREL
IRC
INRA
INRO
IRAJ
IEFIN
IF
KDEM
KCRM
KJUS
KTIA
KWBG
KPAL
KIPR
KTIP
KE
KNNP
KGHG
KICC
KV
KTFN
KU
KCFE
KDRG
KWMN
KSCA
KGIC
KCOR
KFRD
KPKO
KSUM
KPRP
KPAO
KBCT
KIRF
KCFC
KISL
KREC
KSPR
KHIV
KBIO
KMCA
KMPI
KFLU
KSTH
KBTR
KS
KOMC
KOMS
KSEP
KPRV
KFLO
KHLS
KN
KWWMN
KUNR
KLIG
KSTC
KZ
KG
KRAD
KOLY
KTBT
KTDB
KOCI
KAWK
KCIP
KNPP
KWAC
KMDR
KAWC
KIDE
KSAF
KX
KWMNCS
KNEI
KCRS
KVPR
KFRDKIRFCVISCMGTKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG
KACT
KO
KFSC
KR
KPWR
KMIG
KSEC
KIFR
KDEMAF
KFIN
KGCC
KPIN
KPLS
KIRC
KFRDCVISCMGTCASCKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG
KGIT
KBTS
KERG
KWMM
KRVC
KNSD
KVIR
KNUP
KTER
KDDG
KHSA
KMRS
KHDP
KTLA
KPAK
KNAR
KREL
KPAI
KTEX
KCOM
KNNPMNUC
KPOA
KRFD
KHUM
KDEV
KNUC
MOPS
MARR
MASS
MNUC
MO
MX
MCAP
ML
MTCRE
MR
MP
MY
MU
MIL
MAR
MC
MRCRE
MTRE
MA
MEPI
MV
MPOS
MD
MZ
MEPP
MOPPS
MAPP
MASC
MT
MERCOSUR
MK
MDC
MI
MAPS
MCC
MASSMNUC
MQADHAFI
MUCN
MTCR
MG
OREP
OVIP
OFDP
ODIP
OPDC
OAS
OTRA
OSCE
OECD
OIIP
OEXC
OPCW
OPIC
OPRC
OVP
OSCI
OTR
OSAC
OIC
OFFICIALS
OIE
PHUM
PREL
PGOV
PREF
PTER
PARM
PBTS
PINR
PINS
PHSA
PK
POL
PM
PINT
PE
PINF
PEL
PA
PARMS
PO
PLN
PROP
PALESTINIAN
PAO
PL
POV
PG
POLITICS
PEPR
PSI
PSOE
PU
POLITICAL
PARTIES
PBIO
PECON
PAK
POGOV
PINL
PKFK
PMIL
PY
PFOR
PHALANAGE
PARTY
PRAM
PMAR
PGOVLO
PUNE
PORG
PHUMPREL
PF
POLINT
PHUS
PGOC
PNR
PGGV
PNAT
PGOVE
PRGOV
PRL
PROV
PTERE
PGOF
PHUMBA
SENV
SY
SZ
SOCI
SO
SR
SNAR
SA
SP
SW
SMIG
SU
SCUL
SC
SAN
SN
SL
SG
SYR
SEVN
SF
SI
STEINBERG
SIPRS
SH
SNARCS
SOFA
SANC
SHUM
SK
ST
TRGY
TU
TBIO
TH
TS
TSPL
TT
TPHY
TSPA
TI
TK
TIP
TERRORISM
TZ
TX
TW
TD
TP
TC
TO
TNGD
TINT
TRSY
TR
TFIN
TURKEY
UK
UNGA
UN
UNHRC
UNMIK
UNO
UZ
UNSC
UP
UG
UNHCR
UNDC
US
UNAUS
USTR
UV
UNEP
UY
UNESCO
USUN
UAE
USEU
UNDP
UNCHS
UNVIE
UNCHC
UE
UNDESCO
USAID
Browse by classification
Community resources
courage is contagious
Viewing cable 10CAIRO141, UPPER EGYPT SECTARIAN ATTACK UPDATE
If you are new to these pages, please read an introduction on the structure of a cable as well as how to discuss them with others. See also the FAQs
Understanding cables
Every cable message consists of three parts:
- The top box shows each cables unique reference number, when and by whom it originally was sent, and what its initial classification was.
- The middle box contains the header information that is associated with the cable. It includes information about the receiver(s) as well as a general subject.
- The bottom box presents the body of the cable. The opening can contain a more specific subject, references to other cables (browse by origin to find them) or additional comment. This is followed by the main contents of the cable: a summary, a collection of specific topics and a comment section.
Discussing cables
If you find meaningful or important information in a cable, please link directly to its unique reference number. Linking to a specific paragraph in the body of a cable is also possible by copying the appropriate link (to be found at theparagraph symbol). Please mark messages for social networking services like Twitter with the hash tags #cablegate and a hash containing the reference ID e.g. #10CAIRO141.
Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin |
---|---|---|---|---|
10CAIRO141 | 2010-01-28 15:03 | 2011-02-16 21:09 | CONFIDENTIAL | Embassy Cairo |
VZCZCXRO0533
RR RUEHROV
DE RUEHEG #0141/01 0281600
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 281559Z JAN 10
FM AMEMBASSY CAIRO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0082
INFO ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE
RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 CAIRO 000141
SIPDIS
DEPARTMENT FOR DRL/IRF
E.O. 12958: DECL: 2020/01/28
TAGS: PHUM PGOV KIRF KISL SOCI EG
SUBJECT: UPPER EGYPT SECTARIAN ATTACK UPDATE
REF: CAIRO 59; 08 CAIRO 2515
CLASSIFIED BY: Donald A. Blome, Minister-Counselor for Economic and Political Affairs, State, ECPO; REASON: 1.4(B), (D)
¶1. Key Points: - (SBU) On January 17, Egypt's State Information Service (SIS) announced that the trial of the three suspects in the January 6 attack on Coptic Christians in Naga Hamadi, Qena Governorate, will begin on February 13 (ref A). - (SBU) The three suspects will be tried under Emergency Law procedures in the Qena Court of Appeals, a court of first instance for serious crimes, convened as the "Qena Emergency State Security Court." Although the suspects are charged with offences under Egypt's criminal code, under Emergency Law procedures, they will have no right to appeal. - (C) Many contacts remain skeptical of the GoE's initial claim that the killings were in retaliation for the alleged November rape of a Muslim girl by a Coptic man in the nearby village of Farshoot. A respected local human rights group told a visiting delegation from the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) that it believes that the attack is connected to a long-term political rivalry between Naga Hamadi's bishop and a local politician. - (SBU) In a speech delivered on January 24, President Mubarak acknowledged sectarian tensions created by "extremism," called on religious leaders to contain discord, and pledged to deal harshly with anyone fueling sectarianism. - (C) According to a Coptic Church official, 15 Copts arrested in the violence following the attack remain in custody, and reports of subsequent arrests of Coptic men in the area are not accurate. Thirteen Muslims arrested in connection with the violence also reportedly remain in custody. ------------------------------ The Crime and Charges ------------------------------
¶2. (SBU) In a January 24 meeting, Deputy Assistant Foreign Minister for Human Rights Wael Aboul Magd told the USCIRF delegation that the shooting began when the suspects opened fire on a group of people who had just left Christmas eve mass, near the residence of Naga Hamadi's bishop, Kyrolos. According to Aboul Magd, the suspects then drove towards the main church in Naga Hamadi and fired - near a cafC) - at others who had left mass. The suspects continued down the road, and at an intersection, stopped a taxi, pulled the driver from the car - whom they apparently recognized as a Muslim - and shot the three passengers, two Copts and a Muslim, who was an off-duty policeman.
¶3. (SBU) The three suspects were arrested on January 8, and according to local human rights groups on Coptic contatcs, there is little doubt that the arrested men were the attackers. Egypt's Public Prosecutor charged the three suspects with premeditated murder, attempted murder and weapons offences, all penal code, not Emergency Law, crimes. Because they will be tried in an Emergency Law court, if convicted, the suspects will have no appeal rights, although they may request a review of any sentence. While there have been media reports that a fourth suspect was arrested for providing weapons to the suspects, the GoE has not confirmed the arrest. -------------------------------------- CAIRO 00000141 002 OF 003 Rumors of a Political Motive --------------------------------------
¶4. (C) The motive for the attack remains unclear. Although a number of GoE officials announced that the motive was the November 2009 alleged rape of a 12-year old Muslim girl by a Coptic man in his early twenties, few here are convinced. Bishop Thomas of Kus'eah, an advocate for the rights of poor, rural Copts who presides over a diocese in Upper Egypt, told us that he believes widely reported rumors that the attack was related to a political power struggle between the bishop of Naga Hamadi and the local member of parliament (MP), Abdel Rahman al Ghoul, of the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP). Bishop Thomas told us, however, that he had no evidence to support this theory.
¶5. (C) The Egyptian Initiaitve for Personal Rights (EIPR), a respected human rights group, also believes that the attack was related to politics. According to Hossam Baghat, EIPR Director, Naga Hamadi's Coptic bishop, Kyrolos, who has held his position since 1977, has long been active in the NDP and local politics. According to Baghat, Kyrolos and MP al Ghoul, who was first elected to parliament in the late 1970's, are bitter political rivals and al Ghoul blamed Kyrolos for the loss of his parliamentary seat in a 2000 election, claiming that Kyrolos ordered Naga Hamadi's large Coptic minority to vote against him. After what Baghat called a campaign of intimidation against Naga Hamadi's Copts, al Ghoul recaptured his parliamentary seat in a 2005 election. According to Baghat, Hamam al Kamouni, lead suspect in the current case, orchestrated the 2005 campaign of intimidation on al Ghoul's behalf. While Baghot believes al Kamouni and the two suspects arrested with him are directly responsible for the January 6 attack, he is critical of the GoE for so far not looking more broadly at the suspects' motives. Baghat's opinion is that the attack was an attempt to either kill or intimidate Bishop Kyrolos to prevent him from influencing the outcome of the 2010 parliamentary elections.
¶6. (C) Baghat is dismissive of the GoE's initial claim that the attack was revenge for the November rape. According to Baghat, the attack does not fit the pattern of a traditional Upper Egyptian vendetta. Baghat noted that most vendetta killings come soon after the initial incident, not two months later, and generally are carried out by family members of the victim against family members of the perpetrator. According to Baghat, the lead suspect is not related to the alleged rape victim, while the other two are only distant relatives. Baghat also discounted religious fanaticism as a motive, noting that the suspects, especially Kamouni, are considered to be "local thugs" and Muslims "in name only." In any case, the attack occurred in an area considered rife with sectarian tensions (ref B). -------------------- Mubarak Speaks --------------------
¶7. (SBU) In a January 25th speech, President Mubarak said that "this criminal attack has pained the hearts of all Egyptians, Muslims and Copts alike." He called on "all wise Egyptians - clergy, intellectuals, and the media - to shoulder the responsibility of overcoming the sedition, ignorance and blind fanaticism which threaten the unity of our society and which tarnish the image of Egypt." Mubarak threatened "harsh measures" against anybody fueling sectarianism. ---------------------------- On-Going Detentions ---------------------------- CAIRO 00000141 003 OF 003
¶8. (C) According to Bishop Johanna, secretary to Pope Shenouda, 15 Copts arrested in the violence that followed the attack remain in GoE custody, without charges. Local media report that 13 Muslims also remain in custody. According to EIPR's Baghat, the Copts have been "physically mistreated" in custody. SCOBEY