Showing posts with label Saudi blogger. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Saudi blogger. Show all posts

Tuesday, February 17, 2015


EDITORIAL: Shaming Saudi Arabia into Freeing Blogger Raif Badawi


The example set by the early Americans who met in Philadelphia to write a Constitution for free men continues to be a beacon to "the huddled masses yearning to breathe free," in the words of the poet Emma Lazarus. We, the most fortunate of men and women, sometimes forget the debt everyone owes to the men…

Saturday, January 24, 2015

Calls to Spare Saudi Blogger Badawi from Public Flogging

BBC AMERICA: There are new calls for western governments to demand the release of Raif Badawi, who has been sentenced to 10 years in prison in Saudi Arabia, and 1,000 lashes.

Badawi is a blogger who has written critical pieces about the Saudi government.

He has been told he will receive another 50 lashes on Friday. Lucy Manning reports. (+ BBC video) » | Thursday, January 15, 2015

Saturday, January 17, 2015

Saudi Blogger’s Wife Says Global Pressure Could Force His Release

Ensaf Haidar fled to Canada after an attempt was made on
her husband's life.
THE OBSERVER: Leaders urged to ditch kingdom’s oil ‘muzzle’ to free writer sentenced to weekly floggings

The wife of imprisoned blogger Raif Badawi has called on the international community to pressure the Saudi Arabian authorities to release her husband, after his public flogging was postponed this weekend.

Ensaf Haidar was told that the second part of her husband’s punishment, due to take place on Friday after prayers, had been delayed because a doctor had judged that the injuries he had suffered from being lashed the previous week had still not healed and he would not be able to withstand more.

Badawi, 31, was found guilty of offences related to his blog, the Saudi Free Liberals Forum, as well as accusations that he insulted Islam. He was sentenced to 10 years in jail, a heavy fine and 600 lashes – raised on appeal to 1,000 – to be administered at a rate of 50 a week.

Haidar believes that, if leaders such as David Cameron put pressure on the Saudis, Badawi would be allowed to join her in Canada, where she fled with their children after a Saudi cleric put a fatwa on Badawi in 2011, leading to an attempt on his life. He was banned from leaving Saudi by the authorities in 2008 and jailed in 2012, labelled an infidel.

“I have a big hope that Raif will not be in prison for 10 years. I didn’t ever think it would come to me being in Canada and him being in prison, and waiting for him for 10 years.”

Amnesty International is also calling on Cameron to take direct action in support of the principle of free speech. Human rights campaigners, who have been supporting Badawi’s case, have attacked British politicians for “wearing the Saudi muzzle” and want them to press for Badawi’s immediate release. » | Tracy McVeigh and Mona Mahmood | Saturday, January 17, 2015

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Blogger Convert to Christianity Released from Saudi Prison

ASIANEWS.it: Arrested for openly choosing Jesus, Saudi man is released after some months. He still cannot leave the country or appear in media, but many are surprised by the leniency. Under Sharia apostasy is punished by death.

Photobucket
Hamoud Saleh Al-Amri, Saudi convert to Christianity. Photo courtesy of AsiaNews

Riyadh – Hamoud Saleh Al-Amri, a 28 year-old Saudi national imprisoned in January for writing in his blog about his decision to convert to Christianity, was released by Saudi authorities at the end of March 2009 instead of being put death as an apostate as prescribed by Sharia. However, he has been banned from travelling outside Saudi Arabia or appearing in media, Middle East Concern, a Christian organisation specialising in Mideast affairs, reported.

According to Hamoud himself, who is back writing on his Christ for Saudi* blog, his release is due to pressure brought on Saudi authorities by the Cairo-based Arab Network for Human Rights Information, one of several rights groups that have campaigned for his release.

Hamoud was arrested on 13 January 2009 and detained at the Eleisha political prison in Riyadh. He had written in his blog of his decision to leave Islam to follow Jesus, and had also been critical of his country’s judicial system, highlighting widespread corruption and human rights abuses. >>> AsiaNews/MEC | Wednesday, April 15, 2009

*Hamoud's blogspot ( مسيحي سعودي ), Christ for Saudi, has been removed. Surprise! Surprise!