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Can These Retirements Be Saved?
We invited readers to tell us about the cracks in their nest eggs. Here's a look at several who asked for 'retirement makeovers'—and what the experts recommend.
Trying to figure out how to repair your nest egg in the wake of the market turmoil? Join the crowd.
Earlier this fall, we invited readers to share with us their questions and concerns about their financial future. The responses were painful: Individuals and couples who had worked diligently for decades to prepare for later life now find themselves asking how to start over.
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We paired several respondents with financial planners from across the country. Each individual or couple received two assessments. The subjects provided a good look at their income, holdings, expenses and goals; the experts, in turn, recommended investments and steps that our readers hadn't considered.
The good news: Every one of our participants has a shot at a successful retirement. The hard part: Some people will have to work longer than they had hoped, or move someplace cheaper, to make their money last.
Are you in the same position as some of these struggling investors? Do you see hope in their retirement makeovers? Take a look.
Donna McCann
Unemployed at 61
BACKGROUND: After getting divorced two decades ago, Ms. McCann worked her way up from drugstore technician to director of a pharmaceutical-billing department wrangling reimbursements for drugs supplied to nursing homes and managing a staff of six. She lost her job in September 2008 following a company buyout. She recently completed a few software and accounting classes.
CHALLENGE: If Ms. McCann hasn't landed a job by April, when she turns 62, can she afford to quit looking for work, and instead draw her income from Social Security and investments? What if she leaves Metuchen, N.J., and moves to North Carolina, where living expenses are generally lower? Meanwhile, how can she jump-start her job search?
BALANCE SHEET: Ms. McCann owes $25,000 on her mortgage and thinks she could sell her house for $250,000. Before she lost her job, her income was $78,000 a year. She has saved about $190,000 in individual retirement accounts and other investments and has about $45,000 in cash. She expects her monthly expenses in New Jersey to be about $3,100 a month; in North Carolina, $1,950. If she starts collecting Social Security at age 62, she expects to get about $1,100 a month.
ADVICE: Moving south is Ms. McCann's best bet. Retiring in New Jersey with her existing assets at age 62 "is simply not feasible," says Cary Carbonaro, a certified financial planner with offices in Huntington, N.Y., and Clermont, Fla. If Ms. McCann can sell her home for $250,000, she can buy a home for a bit more than $100,000 in North Carolina and add $100,000 to her savings after paying off her current mortgage. Then, if she invests that sum at a 4% average rate of return, her monthly income would get a $333 boost.
Even if Ms. McCann lands a job in New Jersey in the same pay range as before and works until she turns 66, she may want to move south upon retirement, Ms. Carbonaro adds. That's because Ms. McCann would still be lacking about $800 a month to meet her expenses, using a relatively high 6% annual withdrawal rate from her investments.
Ms. McCann also needs to simplify her investments. Her five retirement accounts and two brokerage accounts are too much to handle, says Dan Casey, a senior asset manager with Bridgeriver Advisors LLC in West Bloomfield, Mich. Plus, nearly 20% of her money overall is invested in small-cap funds—"a pretty aggressive sector, and one I wouldn't recommend being in at your point in life," Mr. Casey says.
To make the portfolio a bit less risky, he suggests selling $34,000 of those small-cap holdings and replacing them with a diverse group of bond exchange-traded funds. When Ms. McCann retires and wants to start generating income from the portfolio, he suggests tweaking it further to include "conservative investments such as preferred shares, [more] exchange-traded funds and closed-end mutual funds invested in bonds or high-dividend stocks," which he predicts could generate roughly $18,000 a year in income.
Ms. McCann is also holding too much in cash to keep up with inflation, Ms. Carbonaro says. She suggests reducing the cash position to 10% from 35% and raising fixed-income holdings to 55% of the portfolio, from just over 3% currently.
The planners also urged Ms. McCann to ask the Social Security Administration to calculate a monthly benefit based on her ex-husband's earnings record. Divorced spouses generally are eligible for such benefits if they were married at least 10 years and the other spouse is at least 62 and eligible for Social Security. The question for Ms. McCann: Will the benefit based on her ex-husband's earnings record be more than the benefit based on her record? If so, her monthly check could be bigger, too.
As for the job search, Ms. McCann's experience with prescription-drug reimbursement is a valuable asset, according to two veteran headhunters at New Directions Inc., an outplacement firm in Boston. "You should stretch your mind a little bit about this skill set you have," says Samuel Pease, a New Directions vice president. "Hospitals, group medical practices, oncology centers, nursing homes, retirement villages—there are a number of places that are buying drugs for which you would be ideally suited."
One other note: Mr. Casey thinks Ms. McCann should make long-term-care insurance a "high priority," since she's single and recent changes in the law have made it tougher to qualify for Medicaid. He estimates that basic coverage would cost about $1,400 a year. He recommends such coverage for "anybody who's single or widowed," and for most people with more than $300,000 in assets.
Ann and Tom Barry
Student Loans at 50
BACKGROUND: For the first 15 years they were married, Ann and Tom Barry traveled with Broadway musicals as an electrician and a carpenter, respectively. After Sept. 11, 2001, such productions scaled back, and the couple settled in Knoxville, Tenn. Ms. Barry, 50, went back to school and became a forensic accountant. Mr. Barry, 49, is a custom cabinet maker and ski patroller.
CHALLENGE: Can the Barrys afford to retire in 10 years if they work part time after that, and replace their current home with two condos—possibly in Montana and Florida—worth the same amount? How should they pay off Ms. Barry's $50,000 in student loans? And does their managed investment account make sense for them?
BALANCE SHEET: The Barrys have IRAs and after-tax savings totaling about $320,000—including one managed account of mostly individual stocks that has plummeted 50% in value to $126,000 in the past two years. Their house is mortgage-free and worth about $300,000. Neither spouse has a 401(k) plan or a pension.
ADVICE: The Barrys' first goal should be to pay off their three student loans, says Helga Cuthbert, a certified financial planner in Decatur, Ga. They can do so within three years with about $1,500 a month, making the largest payments on the loan with the highest rate first. When the loans are paid off, they should add that $18,000 a year to the $12,000 a year they already are saving, for a total of $30,000 a year, she says.
They have a decent shot at retiring at age 60, Ms. Cuthbert says, as long as they do three things: meet the $30,000-a-year savings target until then; continue working part time after 60 for several years to cover living expenses of $2,500 to $3,500 a month; and invest their savings so that they earn an average 6.5% a year. If they hit all three of those goals, the Barrys would have an 80% chance of having their money last throughout their lifetimes. That assumes that they live to be 95 and start taking Social Security at age 62, she adds.
In contrast, Chris Long, a certified financial planner in Chicago, recommends that they keep working full time until age 67—also making IRA contributions, and then working part time after that. He thinks they face a chance of running out of money in retirement and need to bolster their savings.
About their IRA contributions: Both planners advise the couple to start contributing the maximum allowed to Roth IRAs (currently $5,000 a year for each of them plus an additional $1,000 apiece annually at age 50 and over), rather than traditional IRAs. That way, their retirement withdrawals would be tax-free. The planners also recommend replacing their current investments—particularly their individual stock holdings, on which they are paying fees of almost 2% a year in some cases—with lower-cost index mutual funds.
Finally, Ms. Cuthbert recommends that the Barrys evaluate the purchase of long-term-care insurance as part of their overall insurance plan every year.
Jackie and Steve Johnson
BACKGROUND: Ms. Johnson, age 54, is a lawyer who owns a small business managing clinical-research trials. Mr. Johnson, 57, sells computer-networking systems and security equipment. They live in Wichita, Kan., and have two children in college.
CHALLENGE: Can they afford to retire at ages 65 and 68 while also laying out a considerable sum to help Ms. Johnson's 76-year-old mother, who expects to need financial assistance?
BALANCE SHEET: The Johnsons have a combined annual income that averages around $140,000, about $600,000 in retirement savings (primarily mutual funds invested in large-cap U.S. stocks), $70,000 in cash and a house valued at $275,000 that's almost paid for. They also try to save about $20,000 a year combined in her simplified employee pension and his 401(k).
Overall, about two-thirds of their current investments are in equities.
ADVICE: The Johnsons are in decent financial shape, but they need to diversify their holdings, says Barry Kaplan, a certified financial planner in Atlanta. Mr. Kaplan suggests adding some midcap and small-cap stock funds to lower their risk through diversification. These have the potential to deliver better returns, helping the couple build up their assets and putting them in a stronger position to help Ms. Johnson's mother.
Of course, those sectors can also be riskier than big stocks, so Mr. Kaplan suggests adding some stability to the portfolio with bond funds, such as Vanguard Group's Short-Term Bond Index and Inflation-Protected Securities funds.
Clark Randall, a certified financial planner in Dallas, suggests that the Johnsons reduce their equity holdings to about 50% of their current investments from two-thirds. He also advises them to pursue a strategy that delivers better income than large caps—and gives them more assets to make ends meet—while offering stability. His suggested portfolio: long-term bonds, real-estate investment trusts that aren't publicly traded, and regulated hedge funds, such as the Calamos Market Neutral Fund and the Merger Fund.
As for Ms. Johnson's mother, Mr. Randall suggests that the Johnsons could buy her house by setting up a mortgage between themselves, with no lender involved. Over the next 25 years, the Johnsons would pay Ms. Johnson's mother about $9,500 annually for the place—about what they're spending now on their children in college, both of whom are expected to finish within two years.
But there's a risk here. Mr. Randall is counting on the house more than doubling in value in the next 25 years to $400,000, at which point the Johnsons could sell it and fold that money into their savings. If the house doesn't appreciate enough, the Johnsons have a slimmer chance of making their money last throughout retirement.
Both planners think the Johnsons need long-term-care insurance. "My very rough rule of thumb is that if your net worth is less than $500,000, you can't afford [the premiums]. If it's north of $3 million, you can self-insure," Mr. Kaplan says.
To cover the average cost of daily care in Kansas, Mr. Kaplan suggests buying a policy that pays at least $150 a day. It should also include "inflation protection," meaning the payments rise with inflation, along with a "shared care" rider, meaning one spouse could tap benefits left unused by the other, he says.
Michael and Mary Fettinger
Postpone the Date?
BACKGROUND: Mr. Fettinger, 55, is the director of controlling for Robert Bosch LLC, an automotive supplier, and Ms. Fettinger, 56, is a medical biller. When they relocated to the Detroit area in 2007, they sold a four-bedroom home in La Porte, Ind., and now lease a three-bedroom townhouse.
CHALLENGE: The Fettingers originally planned to retire at ages 56 and 57, but after seeing their investments fall in value, they decided to postpone it for a year—and want to know if they should push it later. They also plan to travel for a few years and then build a home (designed to let them age in place) in Bloomington, Ind., where they have family and can attend college classes. They'd like to know if it makes more sense to take out a mortgage or pay cash for that house.
BALANCE SHEET: The Fettingers have about $1.32 million in savings and are shooting for $100,000 in income each year in retirement. Mr. Fettinger will get a $40,000-a-year pension, and the couple will get roughly $30,000 a year in Social Security (starting at age 62). They expect to build a home costing $325,000, about $250,000 of which they may finance.
ADVICE: The Fettingers should put off retirement until Mr. Fettinger turns 60, according to certified financial planners Kenneth Butze of Shaker Heights, Ohio, and Gary Cotter of Sun City Centre, Fla. Health-insurance costs are the big reason. Although they can keep Mr. Fettinger's corporate coverage, they have to pay 104% of the current cost until he turns 60. At that point, Bosch pays 75% of the bill until he turns 65 and qualifies for Medicare.
A mortgage in retirement might make sense for the Fettingers, because most of their savings are in tax-deferred retirement accounts, the planners say. If the couple pays cash for a house in their early 60s, they would have to use a large portion of their after-tax savings, leaving them less flexibility in how they tap savings on which they will owe tax at the time of withdrawal, Mr. Cotter says.
To remove the stress of carrying mortgage debt in retirement, Mr. Butze suggests using money the couple has been putting into savings bonds to buy $250,000 in life insurance. That way, if either spouse died at a time when the couple's investments were performing poorly, the survivor could use the payout either to pay off the mortgage or to cover a few years of expenses. (They already have long-term-care insurance.)
The Fettingers also should consider converting part of their after-tax retirement accounts to a Roth IRA after Jan. 1, when the $100,000 income limit for such conversions is dropped, Mr. Cotter says. Again, doing so would make them less vulnerable to future income-tax increases, since Roth IRA withdrawals are generally tax-free after the holding requirements are met.
The couple should also consider paring their 55-plus investments to no more than a dozen so that they're easier to track, Mr. Butze says.
Mike and Roberta Nadel
Still On Track After a Layoff?
BACKGROUND: Mr. Nadel, 49, was laid off as a sports columnist for a chain of newspapers in January—with no severance pay. He is freelancing and collecting unemployment. His wife, 48, a registered nurse, switched jobs the previous month to a lower-paying, but more satisfying, position at a children's hospital.
CHALLENGE: Will the Nadels be on track for retirement at ages 60 and 61, even if Mr. Nadel continues to freelance instead of returning to work full time? They are renting their home and would consider moving somewhere with a lower cost of living.
BALANCE SHEET: The Nadels have about $925,000 in savings, including about $546,000 in investments. Mr. Nadel expects to receive two pensions starting at age 65 (from past jobs) totaling about $1,900 a month. Last year, Mr. Nadel made $94,000, but this year he's expecting to make only about one-third of that, and when his unemployment runs out next spring, his annual income from freelance assignments could fall to between $12,000 and $15,000 a year. Ms. Nadel expects to make about $60,000 this year, down from about $70,000 in 2008. The couple is renting a house for about $2,000 a month, and don't expect to buy a home unless they relocate.
ADVICE: Mr. Nadel either needs to find a way to make more money in the next decade, or the couple should push out their retirement a few years to be safe, according to Julie Schatz, a certified financial planner in Menlo Park, Calif., and Charles Farrell, an investment adviser in Denver.
Given current income and savings projections, waiting until ages 62 and 63 to retire would give the couple a 90% chance of making their income last 30 years, Ms. Schatz says. And if Mr. Nadel finds a way to boost his preretirement income in the near term to between $35,000 and $45,000 a year so they can, in turn, stay on track with their savings, the couple could still retire at ages 60 and 61 with their desired income of $70,000 a year (in today's dollars), Mr. Farrell says.
If the Nadels decide to buy a home, the planners are split on the best way to handle the expense. Mr. Farrell recommends paying off any mortgage before they retire to make it easier to live off their investment income later on. In contrast, Ms. Schatz prefers that they use $100,000 of their savings to make a down payment, and then finance the rest of the cost—up to $200,000—with a 30-year mortgage. That way, they can invest the money they'd otherwise put into principal as a hedge against potentially rising inflation.
The planners agree that Mr. Nadel should reallocate his portfolio, including dumping four individual stocks, currently worth about $76,000 and representing about 9% of the couple's net worth, and replace it with index funds. "Particularly if they buy a house, the portion of money in six companies becomes a bigger bet," Ms. Schatz says. "I'd like to see it under 5%."
The planners also recommend that the Nadels secure long-term-care insurance by the time they retire, which could add $6,000 to $10,000 a year to their costs.
"Mike and Roberta have all the characteristics of being able to do this," Mr. Farrell says. "But they've had a major restructuring in the past year. Now, they need to keep a tight focus on their budget to make sure they can still save at the same levels."
Curtis Green
The Home Stretch
Background: Mr. Green, a 60-year-old fraud investigator for the state of Texas who lives near Dallas, plans to retire at age 66, when he can claim his full Social Security retirement benefits, along with his maximum pension and employee health benefits (both available starting at age 65).
CHALLENGE: Is Mr. Green's IRA invested well, or could he boost its performance in the next several years with some other investment strategy?
BALANCE SHEET: Mr. Green is vested in a state pension plan that currently would pay him $605 a month—but will double those payments if he waits to retire at age 65. His IRA has a value of about $110,000 and is invested in a "professional advisory account" that charges 1.3% of the total account value each year to buy and sell mutual funds on his behalf. He deposits 3% of his monthly paycheck into a 401(k) account that currently has a value of $10,500 (also under professional management). He expects to need about $3,000 a month for living expenses in retirement. Mr. Green also has a 6.875% mortgage with a $66,000 balance and $580 monthly payment. He pays $56 a month for a $75,000 term life-insurance policy, mainly so his five children could use it to pay off his mortgage.
ADVICE: Mr. Green should be fine with a little belt-tightening all around, according to certified financial planners Scott Hanson of Sacramento, Calif., and Pete Bush of Baton Rouge, La.
First, he should ditch the IRA's professional advisory account, they say. He could replace the advice he's getting now by phone for the same cost—or less—with a fee-only financial planner who would meet with him one-on-one at least once a year and provide retirement projections in addition to portfolio management. Mr. Green could also handle his investments on his own for a few years, implementing one of two portfolios suggested by Mr. Hanson using low-cost mutual funds, and hire a financial planner down the road. But Mr. Bush recommends also checking in with an adviser at least once a year for financial-planning advice, so that Mr. Green's portfolio gets rebalanced when his life changes, "as opposed to a static 70/30 mix that doesn't reflect his situation."
Mr. Hanson worries that Mr. Green's $3,000 monthly budget for expenses in retirement is too low, because it's a significant drop from his current take-home pay of $4,670. To that end, the planners recommend that he step up his savings now. Mr. Green could increase his monthly 401(k) contribution to 5% of income from 3%, and at the same time reduce his income taxes, Mr. Bush says.
He also recommends that Mr. Green pay off his mortgage over the next six years either by adding $560 a month in extra payments or by refinancing to a 15-year mortgage around 4.25%, which would save him $6,000 (before the refinancing costs). Mr. Hanson suggests another approach: refinancing with a 30-year mortgage that has a fixed interest rate for seven years. Assuming Mr. Green can get a 4.5% rate, meaning a monthly payment of $1,118 (including extra principal), he could pay off the loan at age 66.
Mr. Green's life insurance could be problematic: The term runs out—and the premiums will almost undoubtedly increase—shortly after he retires. Mr. Hanson recommends dropping the policy, along with paying down the mortgage, or trying to replace it with a policy with guaranteed premiums.
In retirement, Mr. Green will need more cash reserves as well, "since everything you will take out of your IRA and 401(k) will create an additional tax bill in the year you take it," says Mr. Bush. If Mr. Green saves $130 a month over the next six years, it will amount to nearly $10,000. "Put it on auto draft just like your 401(k); it's out of sight and out of mind," he says.
Larry and Irena Kaiser
Switching Gears
BACKGROUND: Mr. Kaiser took early retirement in 2003 at age 54, got married and moved to Australia. Now 61, he and his 53-year-old wife have moved back to the U.S. But the buyout of his share in a hotel business is in doubt, the 5% interest rate he was earning on savings has fallen to about 1.5%, and he has determined that he underestimated their annual living expenses after returning to the U.S. by 10%, he says.
CHALLENGE: The Kaisers want help getting back on track after finding that "nothing worked out as I had planned in advance," Mr. Kaiser says. Ideally, they would like to sell their Boston condo and buy a home in the same price range "somewhere warm." Also, Mr. Kaiser wants to get a handle on their finances so they will last for his younger wife.
BALANCE SHEET: The Kaisers have about $800,000 in cash and investments. Mr. Kaiser is earning about 2% a month on $350,000 in stocks by selling covered calls and puts (a strategy he learned from a cousin who had a seat on the New York Stock Exchange). They hold $365,000 in online money-market accounts earning 1.3%, as well as about $60,000 in a checking account to cover bills. Mr. Kaiser's hotel-partnership share is earning $50,000 a year. Altogether, their income has totaled about $92,000 a year, basically equal to their expenses. But in the past year, lower interest income has made that tougher, Mr. Kaiser says.
In one year, they expect to start collecting $13,000 in Social Security, and in five years Mr. Kaiser will qualify for Medicare. They also own a condo worth about $750,000.
ADVICE: To generate enough income and outpace inflation, the Kaisers need to invest more of their total savings in something other than money-market accounts and certificates of deposit. Glenn McKinney, a financial adviser with Lincoln Financial Securities Corp. in Safety Harbor, Fla., and Long Beach, Calif., suggests using a target-distribution strategy to invest part of the cash. A company such as Russell Investments, Tacoma, Wash., could build a portfolio for the Kaisers to produce lifetime income. "It's like having your own private pension plan," he says.
Mr. McKinney also suggests moving part of the $365,000 from money-market funds into conservative short-term bond funds "that can give you two to three times what you're getting now."
Matthew Tuttle, a certified financial planner in Stamford, Conn., agrees that more of the couple's assets should be invested, but he suggests a do-it-yourself approach: Mr. Kaiser could invest on his own in tactical mutual funds designed to deliver consistent returns. To help spread the risk, Mr. Kaiser should choose a few different tactical funds, which he could evaluate using Morningstar Inc. MORN -1.31 % data to "look at what their style is, what they do and how much flexibility they have," he says. "The beauty of the past year is that you can look and see the worst-case scenario."
To help the Kaisers get started figuring out where to move, Mr. McKinney suggests using the Web site bestplaces.net, which can help them compare expenses in Boston with other cities. "You can go in there and say, 'This is where we live now, and this is where we're thinking about going,' and find out the difference in the cost," he says.
Valentino Piermarini
Stung by the Markets
BACKGROUND: A stroke forced Mr. Piermarini, 68, to retire in 2003 from his career as a pilot flying corporate jets. At that point, he sold a house in Florida and now rents part of a home in Santa Barbara, Calif.
CHALLENGE: After watching his investment accounts fall more than 33% in value in the past two years, Mr. Piermarini is afraid to withdraw the $2,000 a month he had been counting on to supplement his income. He's seeking help reconstructing his portfolio so he feels comfortable making withdrawals again.
BALANCE SHEET: Mr. Piermarini receives $55,000 a year from a military pension and Social Security. He has $282,000 in assets in a taxable investment account, $245,000 in an IRA and $100,000 in a bank certificate of deposit with a three-month term earning 0.9% interest.
ADVICE: Mr. Piermarini is in better shape than he thinks, since he has two reliable sources of income, Social Security and a pension, along with veterans' health benefits. But there are ways his investments might generate more income.
Barry Picker, a certified financial planner and certified public accountant in Brooklyn, N.Y., notes that about one-third of Mr. Piermarini's IRA and brokerage account are in cash, meaning "it's not invested at all." Mr. Picker suggests putting that money in bonds, which would keep the retiree in a 50/50 mix between equities and fixed income, he says, and provide a better hedge against potential inflation.
Much of Mr. Piermarini's other fixed-income holdings are preferred stocks, which Mr. Picker also recommends shifting to bonds.
One easy thing Mr. Piermarini could do to boost his return is to shop for a higher interest rate for his $100,000 CD, says Jay LaMalfa, a certified financial planner in Parsippany, N.J. And to reliably drum up $2,000 a month in income, he suggests investing part of the nest egg in either a single-premium immediate annuity or a variable annuity with an income guarantee. Mr. Piermarini could get at least $1,600 a month by buying a $240,000 immediate annuity, for example. (You can get a quick snapshot of immediate-annuity returns at immediateannuities.com.)
Variable annuities are more complicated, and carry higher fees and penalties for early withdrawals—but also have the potential, at least, for higher returns. The most important thing to look for is an insurer with a strong industry rating, since the insurer guarantees the payments, Mr. LaMalfa says.
He suggests two variable annuities that are available in California from insurers with relatively strong ratings. One, Ohio National Life Insurance Co.'s ONcore Lite variable annuity, guarantees 5% growth on the income base each year. If the investments inside the annuity were to tank, the income base is converted to an immediate annuity. Perspective Advisors II, offered by Prudential PLC's Jackson National Life Insurance Co., also guarantees 5% growth, and it continues the income at the same payout level if the principal erodes, Mr. LaMalfa says. Both have total fees of more than 2%.
— Ms. Greene is a staff reporter for The Wall Street Journal in New York. She can be reached at email@example.com.


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Joint letter to the king of Bahrain - Harassment of women's human rights defender, Ghada Jamsheer
King Shaikh Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa Office of the King The Amiri Court, Rifa'a Palace, PO Box 555 Manama, Bahrain
Subject: Harassment of women's human rights defender, Ghada Jamsheer
January 28, 2009
Your Majesty:
The Women Living Under Muslim Laws (WLUML) international solidarity network is deeply concerned by the recent harassment campaign taken against Ms. Ghada Jamsheer, a woman human rights defender. Ghada Jamsheer is the president of the Women's Petition Committee, an organization which campaigns for the rights and dignity of women in the shari'ah family courts.
While Ghada Jamsheer was attending the AWID (Association for Women's Rights in Development) conference in South Africa between 14 and 17 November 2008, her home was reportedly entered by a state security agent and detailed photographs were taken. Her house phone, mobile phone, and email account are reportedly under surveillance.
Ghada Jamsheer and her family have also received threats, including many threatening text messages, and have been followed by a car. State security agents in civilian clothes have been sent to Ghada Jamsheer's house to shout at her using abusive language. She has been accused of attacking officers performing their duties and has been prevented from accessing the media. In addition, we have learned that Ms. Jamsheer's mother and sister have had court cases brought against them, which we are concerned is directly linked to her defense of human rights.
We are concerned that the harassment campaign and the media ban against Ghada Jamsheer are directly related to her legitimate work in the defence of human rights, in particular women's rights in Bahrain, and that this may form part of an ongoing campaign against human rights defenders in the country. We are seriously concerned for the physical and psychological integrity of Ghada Jamsheer, as well as that of her family.
We urge the authorities in Bahrain to:
1. Carry out an immediate, thorough and impartial investigation into the harassment against Ghada Jamsheer and her family, with a view to publishing the results and bringing those responsible to justice in accordance with international standards ;
2. Take all necessary measures to guarantee the physical and psychological security and integrity of Ghada Jamsheer and the members of her family;
3. Guarantee in all circumstances that human rights defenders in Bahrain are able to carry out their legitimate human rights activities without fear of reprisals, and free of all restrictions including judicial harassment.
We appreciate your attention to this serious matter.
Sincerely yours,
Women Living Under Muslim Laws
International Solidarity Network
Front Line - International Foundation for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders
Human Rights First
Center for Women's Global Leadership
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders
Forward – Foundation for Women, Law and Rural Development
Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law, and Development (APWLD)
BAOBAB for Women's Human Rights
International Women's Rights Action Watch Asia Pacific (IWRAW – Asia-Pacific)
Front Line: Bahrain: Increasing restrictions on the activities of human rights defenders
Posted on 2009/02/03 Human rights defenders in Bahrain are facing increasing restrictions on their activities. The authorities have sought to target independent human rights organisations including the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights and restrict human rights activities. Human Rights defenders have been subjected to arbitrary detention, torture and ill-treatment, fabricated judicial proceedings, threats and harassment.
Further Information According to the Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR), during the last two years the Government, represented by the Ministry of Development, has waged a campaign against local NGOs registered under Law 21/1989. Most human rights organisations refer to this law as one of the obstacles hindering the work of local NGOs in Bahrain. In addition, the Ministry of Development has launched another campaign against unregistered committees and NGOs that have refused to be registered according to such a defective law that hinders their social work.
The Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights submitted its request for a license in 2005. However, the Ministry is still refusing to grant the license without any reasonable grounds. The Government has targeted the leaders of the organisation on several occasions and has attempted to suppress its activities.
Also, the Ministry of Development has rejected the registration request by the Child Association for reasons that contradict the provisions of the International Convention on the Rights of the Child, of which Bahrain is a signatory. The Convention stipulates that children have the right to establish their own organisations to protect their rights. The Association submitted its application in 2004.
The NGOs that have been threatened by the Government are :
1.The Committee of the Unemployed and Low-paid workers. 2. The Committee of those Returning from Exile 3. The Committee for Adequate Housing 4. The Committee of Feminist Petition
The officials of these committees have stated that these are temporary committees that will end their work once the Bahraini Government solves the problems handled by each committee.
There is therefore an ongoing trend of repression of human rights defenders, and continuous attempts made by the Government to stop human rights organisations from functioning, contrary to the international laws that Bahrain has signed.
Also, freedom of expression is in danger. There there have been many orchestrated media attacks on human rights organisations and their members. The recent media campaign against human rights defenders started on 16 October 2008 in the form of inflammatory articles written by members of the elected house of representatives, writers, and editors of some local newspapers concerning some human rights defenders. These articles were published in the local Arabic newspapers Alwatan, Al-Ayam, Akhbar Al-Khaleej, Alwaqt and Al-Bilad, as well as in the regional newspapers Al-Khaleej and The Khaleej Times.
These articles described the human rights defenders as "traitors to Bahrain and stooges of the United States," and interpreted the participation by human rights defenders in a briefing, held on 15 October 2008 in Washington DC., USA, on the theme of, the "Impact of Political Reform on Religious Freedom in Bahrain," as a call for foreigners, specifically the United States Congress, to interfere in local affairs. Furthermore, these newspaper articles called for the Bahrainian authorities to take action against the same human rights defenders.
It appears that the media harassment of human rights defenders is due to their legitimate peaceful activities in defence of human rights in Bahrain, in particular their participation in the briefing concerning the "Impact of Political Reform on Religious Freedom in Bahrain.
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Bahrain: An Oppressive Campaign Against Shia
Authorities Wage Offensive and Derogatory Measures Against Shia Citizens Hindering Religious Practices Stigmatization of Shia in Friday Sermons and TV-broadcasted Preaching
January 15, 2009 The Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR) is gravely alarmed to the escalation of the local in waging offensive measures by the Authorities against Shia citizens, especially during the month of Muharram, a holy and mourning month for Shia. The measures were not exhaustive to; stigmatization using media and Friday sermons, deployment of Security Special Forces to hinder religious practices, ridiculing Shia beliefs and history in State-sponsored public forums, prosecuting Shia for having Matams (Counity religious Centers) in their homes and inciting hatred against Shia religious centers. • Stigmatization using media and Friday sermons: On the same Friday when heavily armed Security Special Forces besieged Al-Sadeq Shia Mosque in the Capital Manama preventing its Shia prayers from coming closer to its proximity, Jasim Al-Saeedi, a Salafi MP in Friday Prayer sermon publicly denounced Shia of Bahrain being "Zionist, monkeys, pegs, and stooges to world Zionist Movement". In prayer' sermon of Friday January 2, 2009 (The fifth out of tenth day of the Hijri Month of Muharram commemorated by Shia), Al-Seedi stated that:" We should not loose sight of the sons of Zion, apes and pigs, as described by the Prophet peace be upon him. The sons of Zion, in different tongues, forms and sects, profaned Muslims with killings, destruction and burning their homes. The people of Zion are in Palestine, in Iraq and in Bahrain. We must be aware that Zion not only Jewish but takes many forms; a Christian, a Jew, a Zoroastrian, a hooded Sikh, a Safavid, or a "Rafiḍi" (A derogatory term for the Shia)". Jasim Al-Saeedi's name was mentioned in what was locally dubbed "Al-Bandergate", a secret organization managed and financed by the Royal Court, having executive programs aiming at disfranchising Shia, marginalizing them in all aspect of life, coordinating the political naturalization to convert them into minority citizen by 2010, suppressing and controlling their religious centers and societal organizations, as well as introducing sectarian sedition and fomenting segregation between Shia and Sunni citizens. Jassim Al-Saeedi has been famed in publically attacking Shia beliefs and figures and inciting Authorities against activists and dissidents. Shaikh Khalifa Bin Salman Al-Khalifa, the Bahrain only Prime Minister since 1970, visited Al-Saidi's house few months back and stated that "Whoever with Al-Saidi, he is with us, and whoever likes him, he likes us ", giving indications of moral support to Al-Saidi's acts and stances. After his fomenting sermon, there was popular row and resentment to what Al-Saidi said when stigmatized the majority of citizens using abusive terms, the Ministry of Justice and Islamic Affairs (MOJIA) first stated, Al-Saidi will be stopped from group prayer and publically addressing people in sermons. At the end of the same weak, another statement from MOJIA officials assured that the stoppage of Al-Saidi is temporary and that they would investigate the matter. Week later Al-Saidi return to the same mosque and delivered similar speech. It is good to mention that Sunni Imam are appointed and paid by the government for the Friday sermons. • Deployment of the Security Special Forces to hinder religious practices: For two weeks in a row on Friday (2nd and 9th January), Al-Sadeq Shia mosque in Manama -the Capital- was besieged by heavy armed forces to prevent the mosque from being opened to perform evening prayer. The Authorities said that their act was to prevent Mr. Hasan Mushaima, the prayer Imam and the Secretary General of Movement of Civil Liberties and Democracy (Haq) from leading the prayer and addressing the public. It is feared that the presence of the Security Special Forces, which is heavily stuffed with non-Bahrainis, surrounding the mosque and preventing Shia from prayer could lead to clashes and confrontations. During the first ten days of the holy Muharram, preventing Shia from prayer and remove black fabric pasted on walls of village as sign of sadness and grieve. This also includes detaching portraits of Shia figures with their slogans commemorating Imam Husain. These incidents occurred at Hamad town and Shia villages of Karzakan, Dair and Al-Musalla, • Ridiculing Shia beliefs and history in State-sponsored public forums It is well known to the Authorities that the first ten days of Muharram, Shia in Bahrain, and the rest of the world, are holy days during which they mourn the martyrdom of Imam Husain, the grandson of the Prophet Mohammed. During this period, the Ministry of Justice and Islamic Affairs sponsored what it called the "Fifth Da'awa (Call) Forum in the Love of Prophet Family and His Companions, in which ten Wahabis and Salafis were hosted to speak on the official Bahrain TV Satellite Channel. During their public talk and specially that on the ninth of Muharram (was shown on 5th and repeated early morning of 6th January 2009), representing utmost sad moment for Shia citizens, the MOJIA guests speakers were ridiculing Shia beliefs, books, writers and historians, considering it blasphemous and undermining Imam Husain and what Shia think of him. • Prosecuting Shia for having Matams in their homes Shia are well known of dedicating part of their houses to hold public venerations, locally dubbed as Matams. This tradition is more customary in areas where Shia do not have or banned from having an official Matam like Hamad Town. This practice has been socially accepted and respected, even in areas of mixed sects of Islam. During the holy month of Muharram this year and unlike the previous years, some of Shia residents in Hamad Town, received sermons to attend police stations and were threatened of prosecution if their Matams are not closed. • Inciting hatred against Shia religious centres On the eve of Monday of last December 28th, the National Security Agency (NSA) showed a pre-recorded TV show on "Bahrain Satellite Channel" in which a group of Shia youth, who were arrested over a week ago, were casting "confessions" of being involved in a "Terror Plot". The NSA alleged uncovering the group aiming at carrying out some terror acts, as per the agency. Among the "confession" statements, which was also posted on the next morning newspapers, it was claimed that "Shia mosques and Matams are hubs for terrorism" BCHR learned from the lawyers, after visiting the detainees, that those youth not only were subjected to torture and ill-treatment which include electrocution in their gentiles to coerce them to confession, but they were not aware of the camera recording and the fact that they "confessions" would be broadcasted on TV. The NSA deceived them by asking them to repeat the confessions obtained under torture in front of a "Shiekh" to arrange for a pardon. Comments and posture: Mr Nabeel Rajab, president of BCHR, stated: "We are extremely concerned that the Authorities are leading a sectarian campaign, stirring up religious sentiments and provoking one sect over the other and paving the way for a civil conflict, replicating the situation in Iraq". "We hold the ruling elite the full responsibility in not dampening the tense situation", he added. "BCHR believes that Shia citizens, and particularly the youths, feel they are cornered, and this will augment resentment and frustration among them", Mr Rajab continued. He concluded: "This is playing with fire and expediting sectarian confrontations between Shia and other fellow citizens for the sake of political power. We are really dismayed." The BCHR rings the bell of warning to the measures pursued and encouraged by the local Authorities in antagonizing Shia, provoking others against them while suppressing their religious freedom. The BCHR calls for: 1) Ending the defamatory and derogatory campaign against Shia, and prosecute those involved in it. 2) Government should works towards creating environment of religious sectarian tolerance and not hatred. 3) Treating Shia equally well as other citizens and stop hindering their practices and suppressing their religious freedom. 4) Ceasing all forms of discrimination and marginalization against Shia. This will include removal of all practices and introduction of legislative protection. 5) Halting the execution of "Al-Bandergate" plot aiming at marginalizing Shia and turning them to a minority by importing tens of thousands of non Bahrainis and granting them Bahraini nationality. This involves removing the repercussions of the plot and publicly prosecuting those involved.
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL: Bahrain: Concerns about recent arrests and allegations of torture
Document - Bahrain: Concerns about recent arrests and allegations of torture
30 January 2009
AI Index: MDE 11/001/2009
Amnesty International has written to the Bahraini government expressing serious concern about the continuing detention of two prominent Shi'a opposition activists and about allegations that 13 people arrested in December 2008 were tortured and otherwise ill-treated before their "confessions" were broadcast on television. In the early hours of 26 January 2009 Hassan Meshaima', aged 61 and leader of the unauthorized al-Haq political association, 'Abd al-Jalil al-Singace, spokesperson of the same association, and Mohammad Habib al-Muqdad, a religious scholar, were arrested from their homes by security officials and taken to the Dry Dock Prison in al-Muharraq. They were later questioned for several hours in the presence of their lawyers and then charged with terrorism-related offences. 'Abd al-Jalil al-Singace was released on bail on 27 January, but the other two are still being held. All three reportedly deny the charges.
The specific charges brought against the three include "taking part in establishing an illegal association which opposes Bahrain's constitution and which uses terrorism as a means to achieve its goals", which carries a sentence up to life imprisonment, according to Article 6 of Law 58 of 2006 relating to terrorism. The other charges,"calling and propagating for the overthrow of the regime and the political system by force" and "propagating for hatred of the regime" are punishable by five and three years of imprisonment respectively, according to Bahrain's Penal Code. On 24 January, two days before their arrest, the three were summoned to appear before the Public Prosecutor for questioning, but they declined to do so apparently because the summons failed to give reasons, as required by Bahrain's Criminal Procedure Code.
Lawyers for the three and media reports have linked their arrests to those of a group of young men who were detained on 15 December 2008 and are now accused of "terrorism". On 28 December, almost two weeks after their arrests, a government-controlled TV station broadcast a video recording of what were said to be the "confessions" of the 13 detainees, who were said to have participated in a "terrorism plot"and to have received military training in 2006 in al-Hujaira, a district of the Syrian capital, Damascus.They were said to have been planning to carry out violent attacks and sabotage and to have named Hassan Meshaima' and the two others arrested on 26 January as instigators of the plot. The names and photographs of the 13 accused, together with their alleged confessions, were published in several Bahraini newspapers after the televised confessions.
In its letter to Bahrain's Interior Minister Shaikh Rashid bin 'Abdullah bin Ahmad Al Khalifa, Amnesty International called for an urgent and independent investigation into allegations that the 13 people detained in December were tortured with electric shocks, beatings and by being suspended by the wrists for long periods soon after their arrest and while they were being held incommunicado in the headquarters of the National Security Apparatus in Manama. The organization called for any officials found responsible for torture or other serious abuses to be brought to justice. The detainees are reported to have been transferred to the Dry Dock Prison only after they had made "confessions".
In its letter, Amnesty International also questioned why the videotaped "confessions" had been broadcast on TV and said this undermined both the presumption of innocence and the detainees' right to fair trial. If and when the accused are brought to trial, the court would need to consider very carefully the impact of the broadcast and other publicity incriminating the defendants and whether this made it impossible for them to receive a fair trial. As well, it would need to assess whether any "confessions" which might be presented as evidence against the accused were obtained under torture or other duress, in which case they must be ruled inadmissible.
Amnesty International requested prompt clarification about the exact reasons for the continuing detention of Hassan Meshaima' and Mohammad Hamid al-Muqdad. If the two are being held solely because of their non-violent political activities, including criticism of the government, Amnesty International would consider them to be prisoners of conscience and call for their immediate and unconditional release. The organization urged that all these detainees be humanely treated and have regular access to their lawyers, families and medical care, especially for Hassan Meshaima', who is said to be diabetic and suffering from ill-health.
Public Document
For more information please call Amnesty International's press office in London, UK, on +44 20 7413 5566 or email: firstname.lastname@example.com
International Secretariat, Amnesty International, 1 Easton St., London WC1X 0DW, UK www.amnesty.org
BCHR/IFEX: Activists imprisoned for writing slogans and posting portraits to commemorate torture victims
Date: 28 January 2009 The Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR) has learned that three young men aged 19 and 20 were summoned on 8 January 2009 to renew their detention for an extra 15 days on charges of writing graffiti and sticking posters on the walls of the Ras Rumman area in the capital, Manama.
The three young men were detained at on 16 December 2008, while they were busy writing slogans and pasting pictures and posters in memory of victims of torture who were killed in Bahrain in past years. The Committee of Martyrs and Victims of Torture (CMVT) organises annual activities, focused on 17 December, Martyrs Day, to commemorate those who died as well as those still suffering as a result of torture in Bahrain, and to seek reparation and redress. Close to this event and during unrest, it is customary to see graffiti and portraits of martyrs on the walls of villages and cities in Bahrain. The authorities usually send a security-backed group to scratch out and wipe clean the graffiti and slogans after a short period of display.
BCHR President Nabeel Rajab stated, "Graffiti is one way of expressing views and is an area which is also coming under censorship, as evident from this incident". He continued, "It is sad that those young men are being punished and apprehended for trying to find a peaceful way of expressing themselves". Rajab added, "I urge the authorities to widen its tolerance for practices of freedom of expression and without any reprisals to release those young men".
BCHR expresses its concern over the fierce grip over all forms of freedom of expression, and considers this act a signal of deterioration to this as well as other rights. BCHR is alarmed by the fact that laws are devised and used in Bahrain to introduce more restraints and constraints on all forms of freedom of expression and protest.
For further information contact Nabeel Rajab, President, BCHR, Manama, Bahrain, tel: +973 3963 3399 / 3940 0720, fax: +973 1779 5170, e-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com, email@example.com, Internet: http://www.bahrainrights.org
The Human Rights activist Maythem Al-Sheikh is at risk as a result of torture during the interrogation period
25 January 2009
The Bahrain Center for Human Rights expresses its deep concern regarding the health and life of the young Maythem Bader Jassim Al-Sheikh (33 years), the activist in the Unemployed and Low-waged Committee, due to him being infected with Multiple Sclerosis disease. He is believed to be infected with this disease as a result of the torture he was exposed to after his arrest from his house at dawn on 21 December 2007.
The information that the Center received indicates that the symptoms of this disease are beginning to appear on Maythem Al-Sheikh just weeks after his arrest and torture he was exposed to on the hands of members of the Criminal Investigation Office. Since last August, Maythem Al-Sheikh tried to communicate his sufferings from the disease to the prisons administration, but his attempts failed due to the ignorance and doggedness of this department, until the Bahrain Society for Human Rights appealed to the Public Prosecution to present him to a specialist to diagnose his condition. Last November, after three months of his request, he was presented and for the first time to a nerves specialist to diagnose his condition. However, despite the proof of being infected with the above mentioned disease, he was only transported to the hospital to receive treatment on Wednesday, 12 January 2009.
Maythem Bader Al-Sheikh was sentenced to 5 years of prison in a case known locally as the incidents of December 2007, and which took place after the death of a young man in his 30's, a Jidhafs resident, during the protests on the Victims of Torture Day. The procedures of the arrest, investigation and trial raised suspicions in regards to failing to observe international standards for the procedures and fair trial. The International Frontline organization, in February 2008, considered Maythem and several of his companions, among them well-known activists, that they were arrested because of their peaceful activities in the human rights field. While the Human Rights Watch organization demanded, in July 2008, to immobilize the execution of the sentences and to carry out a thorough investigation in the allegations of the detainees being exposed to mistreatment and torture during their detention, the Bahrain authorities did not respond, until the time of writing this statements, to any of the investigation demands in the torture allegations at the detention center, especially in the first period that followed the arrest in the Criminal Investigation Office.
According to what the detainee Maythem Bader Al-Sheikh said to his visitors, members of the BCHR, when they visited him in the military hospital last Friday, that he was exposed to severe torture when he was arrested and for 45 continuous days in a building specified for torture called the (Detect) building, and is located in the Criminal Investigations Complex in Adliya area. This was in order to extract sayings and to force him to say confessions to acts he did not commit. Maythem was exposed to all sorts of torture, which included suspension by the hands all night, electric shock in various parts of the body and especially the sensitive areas, harassment and attempt of sexual assault, inserting a wooden rod by force in his rear part. The most he suffered from was the torture that took place on New Year's night of 2008, when a group of torturers continuously tortured him until the morning hours of that day. The torture effects were visible when his family members were permitted a visit after the end of the interrogation period. Among the names that participated in the interrogation and torture, according to his sayings are:
Captain Fahad Al-Fadhala (Bahraini) Lance Corporal Duaij Al-Kubaisi (Bahraini) Corporal Hamza Al-Shomaley (Bahraini) First Lieutenant Isa Al-Majali (Jordanian) First police officer Abdul-Malik (Yemeni)
The medical report that was presented to the Court in the case, in which Maythem was accused, indicates the possibility that incidents of torture did happen to the detainees that Maythem was among. However, the Court reckoned neither the report nor the witnesses' statements. It was, on the contrary, remarkable that the sentence did not consider the detention period which is nearly a year, nor the holidays that are suppose to be deducted from the sentence, as is usual and as is known.
Members of the ruling family head the Ministry of the Interior, the National Security Service, the Ministry of Justice, the Supreme Council, and the judges of the Higher Criminal Court, which Maythem and his fellows were sentenced in, and which strengthens the doubts in the independency and integrity of the sentence issued by the Court. Several BCHR reports stated the escalating rate of systematic torture in all security issues and arrests related to it, since December 2007 and until this moment. It is believed that there is a relation between the mounting public protests and the general resentment against the authority's policies in the various issues, among them the arbitrary arrest and torture.
Based on the above, the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR) demands the authorities in Bahrain the following:
1. To immediately release the prisoner Maythem Bader Al-Sheikh, and all the other detainees who are believed to be arrested because of their peaceful demanding activities.
2. To urgently send Maythem Al-Sheikh to receive treatment outside Bahrain, since Bahrain lacks specialized centers, whether for the serious organic disease that he suffers from or from the psychological torture effects.
3. To open an urgent, independent and transparent investigation in the torture incidents that took place against the detainees, and especially Maythem Al-Sheikh, and to suspend the accused from work, to prepare for their presentation to a fair trial before a non-biased and just court.
4. To carry out a specialized medical examination to the rest of the detainees in the security issues which started in what was known as December 2007 incidents, and what followed that, and to reveal what the exposure to torture caused them during the investigation and detention period.
Joint Statement by BCHR,BHRS and BYSHR: Alarming Deterioration in Human Rights Situation, Detaining Two Prominent Activists
Bahrain: Alarming Deterioration in Human Rights Situation:
Detaining Two Prominent Activists while Releasing a Third on Bail and Ban of Travel Interrogation Issues: Internet Articles, Speeches, Assembly and Association Charges Based on Terrorism Law punishable up to Life Imprisonment
Assaulting relatives of the detainees at the General Prosecution Office Fear of Casualties and More Arrests Following Protests in Many Villages Abbas Al-Murshed, a Columnist, Hit by a Rubber Bullet in the Eye
January 28, 2009
The Bahrain Society for Human Rights (BHRS), the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR) and the Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR) are alarmed for the recent escalation of human rights violations in Bahrain.
The BHRS, the BCHR and the BYSHR, have learnt that after 24 hours of arrest and interrogations, the Public Prosecutors Office ordered the release on bail and travel ban of Dr. Abdul-Jalil Alsingace and the extending in the detention of the other two activists; Mr. Hassan Mushaima, and Mr. Mohammed Habib Almuqdad for undefined period pending further investigations. The three activists were arrested between 2-3am on January 26, 2008 and were held in solitary detention at the Dry-Dock "Temporary Detention Centre" from time of arrest until showing up at the prosecution at 5:30pm on the same day.
Dr. Abdul-Jalil Abdulla Alsingace, (47 years) resident of Karbabad area, a professor at Bahrain University and the head of the Human Rights Committee of the Movement of Civil Liberties and Democracy Movement (HAQ). HAQ Movement is an unregistered grassroots organization established in November 2005, which has been campaigning for democratic reforms and human rights. Dr. Alsingace is a blogger and known for his frequent articles critique of the government. He was subjected to a smear media campaign after participating in seminar on religious freedoms at the US congress last October .
Mr. Hassan Ali Mushaima, (61 years) from Jidhafs area, a retired teacher, previous vice president of Al-Wefaq political society, current president of the HAQ Movement and an activist who has been campaigning for democratic reforms and human rights for more than fifteen years resulting in his detention many times through that period. Early this year, Mr. Mushaima was subjected to physical assault by the Special Forces at Bahrain Airport upon his arrival from the UK after participating in a seminar at the British House of Lords focusing on reforms in Bahrain. For three weeks on a row before his arrest , armed Special Forces were deployed to prevent Mr Mushaima from addressing public through his weekly speeches at Al-Sadeque Mosque.
Mr. Mohammed Habib Almuqdad, (47 years) from Bilad Al-Qadeem, a Shia scholar and social activist, is known to be outspoken delivering speeches in Shia community centers "Matams" in deferent areas of Bahrain raising public issues such as poverty, corruption, sectarian discrimination, arbitrary detention and torture. He is the head of Al-Zahra Charity Institution for Orphans.
Mr. Hassan Mushaima, and Mr. Mohammed Habib Almuqdad are still in solitary confinement. They have been denied any contact with family and proper legal consultations. Lawyers had attended the interrogation sessions at the General Persecution Office as observers.
The BSHR, the BCHR and the BYSHR are concerned for the health condition of Mr. Hassan Mushaima. His health deteriorated during the long hours of arrest and interrogations. According to his family, Mr. Hassan Mushaima suffers of high blood pressure, Diabetes mellitus and Gout.
Dr. Abdul-Jalil Alsingace told BCHR, shortly after his release, that he was interrogated mainly on; his articles on "sensitive" issues published on the internet, his activity in unregistered organization namely HAQ movement, his role in organizing and leading public protests and unauthorized gatherings and his travels to the USA and the United kingdom including his participation and role in seminars organized there.
According to lawyers; Dr. Abdul-Jalil Alsingace could be charged with "joining a society which aimed at de-activating the constitution, changing the regime and instigating hatred against it. Charges against Mr. Hassan Mushaima may include: "Illegally organizing and managing a group of people and using terrorist means to promote the changing of the political system". While charges against Mr. Mohammed Habib Almuqdad may include "Joining a group and supporting it financially to prevent authorities from implementing laws in addition to abusing personal freedom of citizens through acts of terror" and "trying to subvert the political system and instigating hatred against the Ruling Family".
The charges, punishable up to life imprisonment, are based on the restrictive 1976 Penal Code and the 2006 Counter Terrorism (CT) Law which prosecutes on intentions and upgrades punishments mentioned in any law when the criminating act was related to "Terrorism". The two codes have been internationally denounced for violating basic rights. The CT law was particularly denounced by the UN Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms while Countering Terrorism , the International Commission of Jurists , Amnesty International , Human Rights Watch and many other human rights organizations.
The BHRS, the BCHR and the BYSHR, are further concerned for the escalation of violations post the detention of the three activists. On the early morning of January 26, 2008, the Security Special Forces was reported to have physically assaulted relatives, mostly women, of the three detained activists who gathered near the General Prosecution Office to inquire about the whereabouts of the three detainees. Mr. Mohammed Mushima, 21 years, Ms. Fatima Altaitoon, Miss Najat Alsingace and Ms Zainab Alghaffas, were forcibly pushed and beaten by batons on the face and body.
Furthermore, the arrest of the three activists sparked a wave of unrest in many of the predominantly Shia villages. In the last two days, heavily armed Special Forces have been deployed to besiege villages and showered them with chemical tear gas and rubber bullets to suppress angry demonstrators who responded by hurling stones on Security Forces, blocking roads by bricks and setting blaze to rubber tires and garbage canisters. Abbas Mirza Al-Murshed, 35 years, columnist, was hit by a rubber bullet in the right eye (Photos Attached). The BHRS, the BCHR and the BYSHR fear more casualties and new wave of arbitrary arrests.
Conclusion and recommendations:
Based on many previous cases, the escalating hostile attitude of the authorities against dissidents and human rights defenders and by examining the nature of work and speeches of the three activists, the BHRS, the BCHR and the BYSHR, have strong grounds to believe that the detention as well as the charges against the three activist are related to their performance of legitimate peaceful activities related to democratic reforms, promotion of human rights, and the practice of basic rights specially freedoms of expression, assembly and association. Therefore, The Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR), the Bahrain Society for Human Rights (BHRS) and the Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR), call upon the Bahrain Authorities and all concerned actors to do what ever required to;
1. secure the immediate release of Mr. Hassan Mushaima and Mr. Mohammed Habib Almuqdad. 2. Drop the charges, and any reprisals related to their legitimate and peaceful activities, against the three activists which include lifting the travel ban against Dr. Abdul-Jalil Alsingace, 3. secure the rights of Mr. Hassan Mushaima and Mr. Mohammed Habib Almuqdad while in detention, including the instant rights to family call and visits, legal counseling and proper health care, 4. abolish the 2006 Counter Terrorism Law and to amend the 1976 Penal Cod to be in conformity with international human rights conventions specially in relation to the practice of basic human rights and freedoms, 5. put an end to the use of excessive force, arbitrary detention and unfair trials, and 6. put an end to targeting human rights defenders and provide a legalized protection for them.
Bahrain adopts a wholesale of negative positions towards the promotion of human rights at the international level
In an International Study to evaluate the performance of the State members in the UN's Human Rights Council:
Bahrain adopts a wholesale of negative positions towards the promotion of human rights at the international level
Bahrain displayed negative results in its positions in human rights issues at the international level. Bahrain, as a member State in the UN's Human Rights Council, took an opposing position towards 9 of 11 key issues regarding the promotion of human rights at the international level. While it declined taking a positive position in the remaining two issues.
The results were among the worst in the group of countries who took negative positions in those issues, and they were governments of countries that belonged to the Organization of the Islamic Conference and the African Union, and other countries such as China, Russia, Cuba and India. On the other hand, seven countries representing the EU displayed positive positions in all those issues, and other countries were close to doing so such as Finland, Canada, and South American countries, Japan, Switzerland, Ukraine and South Korea.
Those results were among lists that were included in an analytical study issued by an international organization called the "Democratic Alliance project", which is concerned with the evaluation of the performance of member States at the UN's Human Rights Council during its first year of establishment. The study was based on the proceedings of the Council's meeting in Geneva, and on the official statements issued by those countries or by the coalition it belongs to. Indicators related to the positions of all countries were used in 11 issues divided into four parts, as following:
Finding a credible mechanism to review the record of each country in human rights To protect the independency of the UN's mechanisms that are related to monitoring human rights situations around the world, or what is known as special procedures To deal directly with the human rights situations in certain countries or what is called country-specific mechanisms The Darfur issue
In the first part of the indicators, Bahrain was among the countries who opposed to having the non-governmental organizations and the independent experts a main role as a key and direct source of information when reviewing governments' record in relation to human rights. On the other hand, it supported relying on the government itself. Bahrain also refused to have the process of reviewing State records be run by independent experts, but rather keeping it in the hands of government representatives. Bahrain also opposed to adopting the final recommendations by a vote between government representatives, but rather have it done unanimously, and that those positions of the process of reviewing State records will be emptied of its impact and content.
In the second part of indicators, Bahrain refused that appointing officials for the UN's mechanisms who monitor human rights be through the Council's presidency from a list proposed by the other concerned governments and parties, but that the selection should rather be through the governments' representatives only.
Bahrain's government supported the decision of creating a code of conduct, decided by the governments and committed to by those responsible for the UN's mechanisms. Bahrain did not support a decision that the UN's committee in Darfur be made of independent experts instead of political representatives.
As to the third and fourth part of indicators, Bahrain did not support the decision of keeping the UN's mechanisms, which are related to the situations of human rights in certain countries. Accordingly, it was among the ones opposing the continue of examining human rights situations in the countries that had Special Rapporteurs appointed for, for examining human rights situations. Bahrain also declined to support a proposal of holding a special session to evaluate the situation in Darfur, and declined to support a decision of adopting the outcome of the UN's mission report in relation to human rights in that area.
The international organization, which issued the study, recommended the need to develop regional alliances in order to build UN human rights mechanisms, in which they become more credible and more efficient. The study, which will be issued regularly, aims at reforming the methods of selecting member states at the Human Rights Council based on its actual positions towards human rights issues, and not based on political alliances and interests.
More information can be found in the charts related to the aforementioned study in the following links:
Granting the National Security Apparatus the power of General Attorney and immunity from prosecution before Civil Courts
Bahrain: Strengthening the Security Apparatus Warns of further Repression; Granting the National Security Apparatus the authority of public security, the power of General Attorney and immunity from prosecution before Civil Courts Ignoring the legislative and judiciary and taking advantage of the Lawyers Association Targeting human rights defenders Campaign of raids and arrests continues in three Shiite villages The Bahrain Center for Human Rights and the Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights express their deep concern for the Bahraini authorities' direction towards further strengthening the role and powers of the National Security Apparatus (NSA) which, since its establishment in 2002, has been carrying out the ever-increasing role of targeting human rights defenders and the political opponents and infiltrating their organizations. The National Security Apparatus (NSA) controls the Special Security Forces - estimated to be approximately 15 to 20 thousand, most of who are non-Bahraini mercenaries - which began in mid 2005 and in escalating manner to use excessive force in suppressing peaceful gatherings and protests. Since December 2007, this NSA has waged escalating waves of raids and arrests which have affected hundreds of citizens among them dozens of human rights defenders. As well as waging media campaigns to fabricate false or exaggerated security issues to stigmatize the opponents and human rights defenders of the use of violence. The Service used systematic torture and restrictive laws to bring dozens of those to trials that lack the minimal standards of fair trial which are required by the international conventions to which Bahrain has adhered to. The new decree: Completes the security-control system, and strengthens the power of the Security Apparatus: Rather than responding to the appeals of national and international organizations of putting a end to the serious and escalating violations that the National Security Apparatus is practicing, the King issues decree number (117) for the year 2008 to amend some of the provisions of the decree of establishing the National Security Apparatus number (14) for the year 2002. The new amendments states that: Members of the National Security Apparatus are considered as officers and non-commissioned officers and in equivalence to the Public Security Forces. The legal Affairs of the National Security Apparatus and its members have the same functions and powers as the Public Security Forces. The officers, non-commissioned officers, and other member's of the National Service have the same judicial functions as the public attorney in regards to the crimes which falls in the field of work of the National Security Apparatus. Thus, the National Security Apparatus became a security institution which is entirely independent of the Public Security and Defense. However, it has the benefit of double jurisdictions; those that join the functions of both the Public Security Forces and the judicial authority. Furthermore, the members cannot be prosecuted by neither the criminal nor the civil court, but only by the military court which lacks transparency and independence. This deprives persons affected from the Service's actions from their right to justice before court, and provides the suitable grounds for the members of the National Security Apparatus to commit violations and have impunity. All this explicitly contradicts the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and several International conventions, among them are: The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Convention Against Torture which the Bahrain has acceded to and should abide by. In the course of his comment, the president of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights Mr. Nabeel Rajab stated, "What adds to the seriousness of strengthening the role of the powers and influence of the National Security Apparatus is that it is consistent with the group of laws that restrict public liberties and punishes those who practice them. Such as, State security articles from the 1976 Penal Law, the 1989 Law on Associations, the 2006 laws on Gatherings and Demonstration and the Anti-Terrorism Law. On the other hand, the political system in Bahrain strips the legislative and judicial authorities off its independence and its efficiency in monitoring and questioning the formation and practices of such institutions that play a critical role, or reforming rigid laws. In addition to, and as a result of, all this civil society institutions, human rights organizations and the press are deprived of efficiency in monitoring and influence. Consequently, the authority is creating a new repressive reality more organized and dangerous than the measures that were taken during the past state security era." Mr. Rajab adds, "While the decree number 10 for the year 2002 grants impunity to the violators of human rights; employees of the State Security Service in the previous era, the new decree grants impunity to the employees of the National Security Apparatus, contributes in setting off their violations and protects them from accountability and punishment in the present and future." Marginalizing the National Council and judiciary, and taking advantage of the Lawyers Association to support new procedures: The aforementioned decree was issued in neglect of the legislative authority represented in the National Council which in session but is subject to the dominance of the authority in terms of structure and work system. The decree also overlooked the jurisdictions and role of the judiciary authority, which in turn lacks it independence as well. However, the authority, on the other hand, was keen on securing moral support to the new decree by instructing the head of the Lawyers Association to issue a supporting legal opinion to it. The government, in the last few years, was able to dominate the Lawyers Association and end its role in support of human rights issues, especially after electing the current board of administration which is headed by the wife of one of the senior officials at the Ministry of the Interior. That reveals the gravity of the government plans in infiltrating and dominating civil society institutions. The National Security Service maintains its raids and arrests: A new wave of raids and arrests has continued; on January 12, 2009 Sami Ahmed Meftah (30 years) from Tubli area was arrested. At dawn on 18 January, houses were raided and the following arrested: Sayed Ali Sayed Shubar (30 years) from Jidhafs area, Ali Abdulhadi Meshemea (19 years) from Daih area, Abbas Jameel Taher Al-Samea (19 years) from Sanabis area, Hussein Ali Jum'a (15 years) from Hamad Town. At dawn and on the same day, the houses of the two following were raided: Mohammed Abdul-Kareem and Abdulredha Taher Samea (26 years) from Jidhafs area with the plea of being "wanted for arrest". The new wave of arrests was begun by the National Security Apparatus on the December 17, 2008 anticipating the events of the Martyrs and Torture Victims Day udder the pretext of the uncovering a "terror plot". The arrests so far have reached dozens of citizens who were detained for long periods in solitary confinement, without contact with the outside world, which easily subjects them to torture and extracting "confessions" from them which could be used to convict them through government media, and to accuse them later in court. Normally in previous such case, the National Security Apparatus was basing its actions and charges against arrestees on the state security articles from the 1976 Penal Code. While, as to the recent arrests, they are based on a more restrictive law which is the anti-terrorism law for the year 2006, and which was condemned by the UN's Special Rapporteur on Terrorism and many international nongovernmental organizations concerned with human rights. Based on the above, the Bahrain Center for Human Rights and the Bahrain Youth Center for Human Rights demand the following: 1. To put an end to the current policy of supporting laws, institutions and practices that restrict and suppress public liberties, and instead guarantee civil and political rights, and to set off public freedoms, especially the ones related to expression, gatherings and association, 2. To adopt dialogue with, and participation of, the various civil institution and groups in order to lay down practical solutions for unsettled issues, whether they are related to civil or political rights, or economic, social and cultural rights, 3. To put an end to the continuous violations and targeting human rights defenders and political opponents, and to secure a healthy and suitable environment for the work of human rights organizations and civil society institutions away from; restrictive laws and interferences and threats of the National Security Apparatus, 4. To guarantee the independence of the judiciary, and to secure the citizens right in prosecuting public officials of all specializations or levels, and to end any form of immunity and impunity, especially the ones related to arbitrary arrest, torture, unfair trials and targeting human rights defenders, 5. To refer to the legislative authority - that needs to be independent and representing public will - when issuing and mending laws, and to monitor and guarantee its efficient role in calling the executive authority to account, including the security services, 6. To reform laws related to liberties and repeal the anti-terrorism law, 7. To dissolve the National Security Apparatus and the Special Security Forces and to return their powers to the regular security services, 8. To end the policy of recruiting and using non-Bahraini mercenaries to work for the security apparatus and within the special security forces, who are being used to deal violently with peaceful gatherings and public protests, 9. To stop the systematic discrimination, isolation and marginalization policy against the Shiite community practiced by the authority in all fields.
Reporters Without Borders: More human rights websites blocked on information ministry's orders
Bahrain | 22.01.2009
Reporters Without Borders deplores the directive which the information ministry sent to Internet Service Providers on 14 January ordering them to block access to certain political and commercial websites and warning that only the information ministry could take the decision to unblock a website. At least 25 sites have been blocked since the directive was issued.
"Even if the blocking of a political website is nothing new in Bahrain, this directive confirms that the government wants to retain its power to censor the Internet," Reporters Without Borders said. "The fact that the Internet filtering is also targeting human rights websites indicates that this order is a first step in the reinforcement of online surveillance. We urge the information ministry so rescind this order and lift the blocking."
Proxy websites, which enable Internet users to sidestep censorship, have also been blocked since 14 January.
When Internet users try to connect to one the sites, they find a message saying: "Site Blocked: This website has been blocked by the order of the Ministry of Culture and Information based on Article 19 of decree Law No. 47, 2002 regarding the organisation of the press, printing and publishing in the Kingdom of Bahrain, due to the publication of prohibited content on the aforementioned site."
The websites of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights and the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (Hrinfo) have been blocked for more than two years. A total of 69 news websites are currently blocked in Bahrain.
Law No. 47 of 2002 empowers the government to close a publication or website that is deemed to have attacked the government, the official state religion, public decency or other religions in a manner likely to disturb the peace. Officials can order the closure without referring to a court first.
Article 5 of a new media law that is currently before parliament would protect Internet publications from summary closure by the government. Reporters Without Borders calls on the authorities and parliament to allow online media to benefit from this provision.

subset: commoncrawl


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She kept screaming "yeah! You pick up my books!" the whole time. . .
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Courtney Dale Stooksbury of Indianapolis, Indiana and Christopher Austin Parker of Indianapolis, Indiana were married November 30 at The Belmont Mansion in Nashville, Tennessee. The bride was given in marriage by her parents Gary and Kathy Stooksbury of Aiken.
The groom is the son of Gene and Maureen Parker of Cutler, Indiana. Dr. James Griffith, friend of the couple, officiated.
Eileen Casper of Knoxville, Tennessee, friend of the bride, was the maid of honor. Bridesmaids were Amanda Robertson of Washington, D.C., friend of the bride, and Ashley Fritts of Florence, Alabama, cousin of the bride.
Matthew Parker of West Lafayette, Indiana, brother of the groom, was the best man. Groomsmen were Seth Parker of Augusta, Georgia, brother of the groom; and Samuel Parker of Lafayette, Indiana, brother of the groom.
Following a reception at the Belmont Mansion, the couple left for a honeymoon in the Virgin Islands. The couple resides in Indianapolis.
Courtney is a graduate of the University of Tennessee and a 2011 graduate of Indiana University, McKinney School of Law. She is employed by ACES Power Marketing.
Christopher is a graduate of Purdue University and a graduate 2013 of Indiana University, Maurer School of Law. He is employed by the Hendricks County Prosecutors Office.
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Southpaw looking for Mr. Right :)
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Al-Adil II
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Saif ad-Dīn al-Malik al-ʿĀdil Abū Bakr b. Nāṣir ad-Dīn Muḥammad (Arabic: سيف الدين الملك العادل أبو بكر بن ناصر الدين محمد, known simply as al-Adil II) (c. 1221 – 9 February 1248) was the Ayyubid sultan of Egypt from 1238 to 1240. He was a Kurdish Ruler.
When his father al-Kamil, nephew of Saladin, died in 1238, al-Adil II followed him somewhat unprepared. When the country plunged into anarchy, his exiled half-brother, as-Salih Ayyub, seized the opportunity and deposed him. Al-Adil died in prison eight years later.
See also[edit]
|Regnal titles
|Preceded by
|Sultan of Egypt
|Succeeded by
As-Salih Ayyub
|This Egyptian biographical article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.