Raif Badawi’s Cruel Imprisonment

Mar 30, 2022 | "In 2012, Saudi human rights activist Raif Badawi found himself beneath the heel of the repressive Gulf state's censorship laws, imprisoned and later flogged for blasphemy. Ten years later, he is released from prison, but his struggle for true freedom is far from over."

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Why Is Saudi Arabia Angry at Canada? | Inside Story

Saudi Arabia considers Canada's comments on human rights in the Kingdom as an interference in its affairs that require what it calls a "sharp response". So it has expelled the Canadian ambassador and recalled its envoy from Ottawa. Its state-owned airline has suspended direct flights to Toronto; and the government says it will end trade and investment ties.

It all began with a tweet from Canada's Foreign Affairs ministry, stating concerns over Saudi Arabia's arrest of rights activists and demanding their immediate release. One of those activists mentioned in that tweet is Samar Badawi, a relative of Canadian citizens.

Badawi and fellow activist Nassima al-Sadah were arrested last month. Badawi is the recipient of the 2012 International Women of Courage Award, who is known for challenging Saudi Arabia's male guardianship system.

But is international criticism enough to improve human rights in the Kingdom?

Presenter: Mohammed Jamjoom | Guests Rothna Begum - Senior researcher at Human Rights Watch; Sultan Barakat - Director of the Centre for Conflict and Humanitarian Studies at the Doha Institute; Imad Harb - Director of research and analysis at the Arab Centre Washington DC

Saudi Blogger Raif Badawi Faces Further Round of Flogging, Supporters Say

THE GUARDIAN: Badawi received 50 of 1,000 lashes sentence in 2014 / ‘Reliable source’ says whipping could take place at any time

Raif Badawi, the imprisoned Saudi blogger whose public flogging in 2015 generated global outcry, now risks a new round of lashes, according to his supporters.

Evelyne Abitbol, who founded the Raif Badawi Foundation with Badawi’s wife, said a “reliable source” in Saudi Arabia claims he faces a new flogging after being sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment and 1,000 lashes in 2014 for breaking the kingdom’s technology laws and insulting Islam.

Saudi embassy officials in Ottawa and Saudi government officials in Riyadh were not immediately available for comment.

Reuters was unable to independently confirm the source’s claims. » | Reuters in Montreal | Tuesday, October 18, 2016

RadicLe - "A Fu*king Problem" by Maajid Nawaz Feb 1st 2015

Sister of Saudi Blogger Raif Badawi Arrested and Jailed in Same Prison

Samar Badawi received the 2012 International Women of Courage
award for her efforts to promote women's equality in Saudi Arabia.

THE GUARDIAN: Samar Badawi believed to have been arrested Tuesday for posting to Twitter account used to advocate for release of former husband Waleed Abu al-Khair

Samar Badawi, a prominent Saudi human rights advocate – and the sister of jailed blogger Raif Badawi – has been arrested and is being held in the same prison as her brother, according to activists and family members.

In a series of tweets Raif Badawi’s wife, Ensaf Haidar, said Samar had been arrested and transferred to Dharhan central prison after four hours of questioning.

According to Haidar, Amnesty International and the Raif Badawi Foundation – a Canadian advocacy group – Samar is believed to have been arrested Tuesday for posting to a Twitter account used to campaign for the release of her former husband, Waleed Abu al-Khair, and for publishing of photo of him in jail.

Abu al-Khair is a Saudi human rights lawyer currently serving a 15-year sentence, in part for defending Raif Badawi.

In a statement, Amnesty called Samar’s arrest “the latest example of Saudi Arabia’s utter contempt for its human rights obligations and provides further damning proof of the authorities’ intent to suppress all signs of peaceful dissent”. Read on and comment » | Jessica Murphy in Ottawa | Tuesday, January 12, 2016

Jailed Saudi Blogger Raif Badawi Wins PEN Pinter Prize

BBC: Saudi blogger Raif Badawi, who is in jail for "insulting Islam", has won the Pen Pinter Prize for championing free speech.

Mr Badawi is serving a 10-year sentence in Saudi Arabia and is due to receive 1,000 lashes.

He shares the prize with British poet and journalist James Fenton.

Accepting the award for Mr Badawi, Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales said the British government should "show moral leadership" and seek his release.

"Raif should have been honoured for founding a website that allowed healthy public discourse in Saudi Arabia; he should not have been held behind bars, facing flogging," he added. » | Tuesday, October 7, 2015

WIKI: PEN Pinter Prize »

Why Is Saudi Arabia On UN Human Rights Panel?

Saudi Arabia has been appointed by the UN to head a key human rights panel despite the repressive country having a deplorable record on freedoms for women, minorities and dissidents and having beheaded more people this year than ISIS. The wife of imprisoned free speech blogger Raif Badawi, Ensaf Haidar, called the appointment “scandalous” and said that it meant “oil trumps human rights”. We look at the controversial move on the Lip News with Elliot Hill and Margaret Howell.

The Lip »

Britain Should Treat Saudi Arabia as a Pariah State

Ensaf Haidar, the wife of jailed Saudi blogger Raif Badawi,
holds a placard after her speech as a guest at the annual meeting
of the German section of Amnesty International in Dresden, Germany

THE TELEGRAPH: David Cameron must end arms sales to a Saudi state that violates the human rights of its own citizens

It is exactly three years ago today that the pro-democracy blogger Raif Badawi was arrested and imprisoned in Saudi Arabia. Earlier this month, the Saudi Supreme Court upheld the draconian sentence handed down for his 'crime' of setting up a liberal website: ten years jail and 1,000 lashes.

Meanwhile, Badawi’s lawyer and brother-in-law, Waleed Abu Al-Khair - himself a human rights activist and founder of the Monitor of Human Rights in Saudi Arabia - had his 15 year jail sentence confirmed in February.

This is happening in a country that successive British governments have allied with, diplomatically and militarily, despite its tyrannical nature and its sharp divergence from our stated democratic, liberal and human rights values. Our foreign policy on Saudi Arabia doesn’t match what we say we stand for.

Indeed, as well as Raif’s and Waleed’s persecution, Amnesty international has documented ten different forms of gross human rights abuse perpetrated by the regime in Riyadh.

Despite UK government silence, human rights campaigners have kept the Badawi case in the public eye. English PEN has been holding weekly vigils outside the Saudi Embassy in London, and the Amnesty International petition calling for his release has over 1 million signatures. People worldwide are sharing the #FreeRaif appeal on social media, calling for his immediate, unconditional release.

Badawi is one of the human rights heroes of our age. He has been awarded several prizes, including PEN Canada’s One Humanity Award, and has been nominated for the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize. Numerous Nobel laureates have voiced their support for Raif, as have well-known public figures such as Patti Smith, Jimmy Wales, Salman Rushdie and Noam Chomsky. » | Peter Tatchell | Wednesday, June 17, 2015

ENGLISH PEN: Day of action for Raif Badawi »

Saudi Court Upholds Badawi’s Sentence

GULF NEWS: Saudi blogger will serve 10 years in prison and pay SR 1 million in fines

Manama: Saudi Arabia’s Supreme Court has upheld all the sentences pronounced by a lower court against Raif Badawi, the founder of Saudi Liberal Network.

The court reached its decision after five “highly-qualified with vast experiences judges” studied the 70-page verdicts for three months, local daily Okaz reported on Sunday.

The ruling by the Supreme Court, the highest in the kingdom, is final and cannot be appealed or challenged.

The lower court had sentenced Badawi to five years in jail and a SR 1 million (Dh9,79,414) fine for launching the Saudi Liberal Network. The court also issued another five — year jail term and 1,000 lashes to be given out 50 at a time over 20 weeks.

The lashing is to take place on Fridays at most once a week in the Red Sea port city of Jeddah, his hometown, the court said.

The two jail sentences are separate and will have to be served consecutively. » | Habib Toumi, Bureau Chief | Sunday, June 07, 2015

Saudischer Blogger Badawi: "Auf wundersame Weise 50 Peitschenhiebe überlebt"

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Der saudische Blogger Raif Badawi hat aus der Haft einen Brief geschrieben, den der SPIEGEL abdruckt. Das Schreiben zeigt einen mutigen, ungebrochenen Mann.

Wie überlebt man eine Auspeitschung? Wie fühlt sich der Alltag in einem saudischen Gefängnis an? Erstmals seit seiner Verhaftung meldet sich der saudische Blogger Raif Badawi per Brief zu Wort - nach fast drei Jahren in Haft. In dem Schreiben, das der SPIEGEL in Auszügen nachdruckt, berichtet er von seinen Eindrücken und Erfahrungen. Er schreibt, dass er auf "wundersame Weise fünfzig Peitschenhiebe überlebt" habe, während er umringt gewesen sei "von einer jubelnden Menge, die immerzu Allahu akbar rief". Und weiter schreibt er: "All dies grausame Leid ist mir nur widerfahren, weil ich meine Meinung ausgedrückt habe." » | Freitag, 27. März 2015

Blogger Lashing: Saudi Rejects Criticism of Badawi Case

Raif Badawi's punishment has drawn condemnation around the world

BBC AMERICA: Saudi Arabia has expressed "surprise and dismay" at international media reports criticising the flogging of a Saudi blogger for insulting Islam.

In its first official statement on the case the foreign ministry said it rejected any interference in its internal affairs.

Raif Badawi was sentenced to 1,000 lashes and 10 years in jail last year.

He received the first 50 lashes in January prompting strong criticism of Saudi Arabia's human rights record.

The foreign ministry said it could not accept any impingement on the country's sovereignty, or on the impartiality of its judiciary system.

"The kingdom unequivocally rejects any aggression under the pretext of human rights," it added. » | Sunday, March 08, 2015

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Saudi-Arabien-Reise: Gabriel setzt sich für Blogger Badawi ein: Heikle Mission für den SPD-Chef: Bei seiner Saudi-Arabien-Reise kritisiert Sigmar Gabriel die harte Strafe für den Blogger Badawi - und irritiert mit der klaren Haltung die Scheichs. » | Von Gerald Traufetter, Riad | Sonntag, 08. März 2015

Family Fear Saudi Blogger Could Face Execution By Beheading

Raif Badawi received the first 50 of his lashes in January

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: They say Raif Badawi, already sentenced to public flogging and ten years in prison, could also be tried for apostasy, which carries the death penalty

Raif Badawi, the Saudi blogger sentenced to 1,000 lashes after being convicted of insulting Islam, could face death by beheading, according to his family.

The case attracted worldwide condemnation when he was publicly flogged in January.

Now his family say they have been told he is to be tried for apostasy.

"Apostasy charge is punishable under Saudi law with the death penalty by beheading," they said in a message posted on Facebook.

"We also received confirmed information that the Supreme Court has referred Raif case to the same judge, who sentenced Raif with flogging and 10 years imprisonment. » | Rob Crilly, New York | Sunday, March 01, 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…

Austria Threatens to Close Saudi-Backed Interfaith Dialogue Center

GATESTONE INSTITUTE: Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann has expressed public outrage over the refusal of the King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Centre for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue to speak out against the flogging of Raif Badawi, a Saudi human rights activist and blogger who has been sentenced to 1,000 lashes and 10 years in prison for "insulting Islam."

"Saudi Arabia practices a form of Sharia law that is one of the most brutal systems in the world... Does the Austrian Foreign Ministry really want to give such a state the opportunity to build an international propaganda center in Austria?" — Editorial, Die Presse.

"An inter-religious dialogue center that remains silent when it is time to speak out clearly for human rights is not worthy of being called a dialogue center. It is a silence center." — Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann.

"If the center wants to remain only an economic center with a religious fig leaf, then Austria should no longer be a part of it. In any event, Austria will not allow itself to be threatened or blackmailed." — Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann.

The Austrian government has threatened to close a controversial Saudi-sponsored religious dialogue center because of the latter's failure to condemn the flogging of a Saudi human rights activist and blogger.

Saudi Arabia has responded to the threat by issuing a counter-threat to move the permanent headquarters of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries [OPEC] out of the Austrian capital of Vienna. » | Soeren Kern | Sunday, February 08, 2015

Saudi Blogger Raif Badawi Flogging Postponed Second Time

BBC AMERICA: Authorities in Saudi Arabia have again postponed a second round of 50 lashes on the blogger Raif Badawi.

No reason has been given, but last week Mr Badawi was reported to be physically unfit to face the penalty after receiving the first flogging. He was sentenced to 1,000 lashes and 10 years in prison for insulting Islam.

Raif Badawi's punishment has caused international outcry. Last week the case was referred to the Supreme Court by the then-King Abdullah's office.

A decree by the new Saudi King Salman has pardoned what are described as "public right" prisoners, which could eventually include Mr Badawi.

A Saudi rights activist and lawyer, Suad al-Shammary, who worked with Mr Badawi on his blog, was released on Friday.

She had been held for three months without charge over comments she made on Twitter, which her opponents portrayed as anti-Islamic. (+ BBC video) » | Friday, January 30, 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

Blogger Sunny Hundal on Raif Badawi in Saudi Arabia

BBC AMERICA: Blogger Raif Badawi has been sentenced to 10 years in prison and 1,000 lashes for criticising Saudi Arabian clerics on his internet blog.

British blogger Sunny Hundal said this case, and others like it, mean the UK should stop "hugging" the Saudi regime.

In a personal film, he said it was time for the UK to cut these ties and "treat the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with the contempt it deserves". » | Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Top US Academic: 'Let Me Be Lashed Instead Of Saudi Blogger'

Academics who have volunteered to take the lashes for Raif
Badawi, clockwise from top left: Richard P George, Hannah
Rosenthal, Mary Ann Glendon and Zuhdi Jasser

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Princeton professor Robert P George offers to take punishment issued to Raif Badawi, the Saudi liberal sentenced to 1,000 lashes

A group of top American intellectuals have volunteered to "take" the 1,000 lash sentence imposed by the Saudi government on a prominent liberal blogger.

In a remarkable intervention on behalf of Raif Badawi, who received the sentence for insulting his country's hardline Islamic clerics, seven US academics have agreed to take the flogging for him.

The move, which follows widespread international outrage at the sentence, is being led by Robert P George, a leading professor at Princeton University and vice-chairman of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom.

In an email to The Christian Post newspaper, Professor George said: "Together with six colleagues on the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, I sent a letter to the Saudi Ambassador to the US calling on the Saudi government to stop the horrific torture of Raif Badawi — an advocate of religious freedom and freedom of expression in the Saudi Kingdom."

"If the Saudi government refuses, we each asked to take 100 of Mr. Badawi's lashes so that we could suffer with him. The seven of us include Republicans and Democrats, liberals and conservatives, Christians, Jews, and a Muslim." » | Colin Freeman, Chief foreign correspondent | Thursday, January 22, 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

Saudi Rights Advocate Flogged On Charge Of Insulting Islam

LA TIMES: Rejecting international appeals for clemency, Saudi Arabia on Friday publicly flogged a rights advocate and blogger who was convicted of insulting Islam, news accounts said.

Rights activists citing eyewitness reports said Raif Badawi, who had previously run a reformist website, was lashed outside a mosque in the Red Sea city of Jeddah, following Friday prayers. The flogging was the first of 20 such sessions mandated by Badawi’s sentence -- a total of 1,000 lashes, 50 lashes at a time.

Badawi was also sentenced to 10 years in prison and fined more than $250,000. » | Laura King | LA Times | Reporting from Cairo | Friday, January 09, 2015