FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Imprisoned Saudi Blogger Raif Badawi

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Imprisoned Saudi blogger Raif Badawi persecuted with new investigation Saudi authorities further target dissident and his Canadian wife Sherbrooke - February 28th, 2021 - in the wake of the release by the Biden Administration of a damning intelligence report directly linking Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed Bin Salman to the brutal murder and dismemberment of journalist Jamal Khashogghi, Saudi authorities are intensifying their persecution of political prisoners. Arrested on spurious charges in June 2012 and sentenced to 10 years in prison and 1000 lashes, blogger Raif Badawi is being targeted with yet another investigation, his international legal team has learned. Imprisoned by previous Saudi authorities - and having never been publicly critical of them, nor the new Crown Prince - he and his wife Ensaf are nonetheless being investigated for "inciting public opinion" and "harming the reputation of the Kingdom". An advocate of religious pluralism, respect for minorities, and normalization with Israel, Badawi has been brutally persecuted for peacefully espousing these views. As the Biden Administration seeks to expand regional peace agreements and curtail the Kingdom's human rights abuses, Badawi's just case and cause presents an opportunity to meaningfully advance both. Quotes: "Raif Badawi's unjust imprisonment is a standing violation of international law and Saudi Arabia's own domestic legal norms. It is Raif's unjust imprisonment and this new investigation against him that 'incites public opinion' and 'harms the reputation of the Kingdom', not his peaceful expression. Raif should be released and reunited with his family in Canada." - Honourable Professor Irwin Cotler, International Legal Counsel to Raif Badawi, and former Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of Canada "9 years have been long enough. My kids are growing up without their father, and we all miss him terribly. Raif is not a criminal, but a peaceful advocate of coexistence. I hope that His Highness King Salman and Crown Prince Bin Salman can find it in their hearts to free Raif, and allow us to be a family once again." - Ensaf Haidar, wife of Raif Badawi Quick facts: - Badawi's wife, Ensaf Haidar, and their three children fled to Canada as refugees, and recently received Canadian citizenship. Haidar is also being targeted by Saudi authorities in this new investigation. - Raif Badawi is one of the world's most recognized dissidents, having received dozens of major international awards. World leaders from across the political spectrum have publicly called for his release, including interventions from Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, the European Union, and unanimous motions of the U.S. House and Senate. - Raif Badawi's sister Samar Badawi and his Saudi lawyer Waleed Abulkhair have also been unjustly imprisoned. - Saudi authorities traditionally grant pardons to prisoners on the occasion of Ramadan, which begins in April this year. For interviews, please contact Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights: [email protected] .

Copy Link

Recommended publications

1 De 2 to Get the Latest News from LWBC
PRESS RELEASE For immediate release RAIF BADAWI: LWBC SUBMITS A WRITTEN ARGUMENT TO SAUDI ARABIA SUPREME COURT Québec, 17 August 2015 – In the case of Raif Badawi, in accordance with commitments made notably to his wife Ensaf Haidar, Lawyers Without Borders Canada (LWBC) submitted a written argument on 15 August 2015 to the Saudi embassy in Ottawa and to the Saudi Minister of Justice on Saturday destined to the Supreme Court of Saudi Arabia. LWBC wishes to contribute to the reflection of the highest Saudi court and ultimately contribute to the release of Raif Badawi and the reunion with his family in Canada. This written argument prepared by LWBC’s team with the support of the Quebec Bar, Lavery law firm, and recognized experts in the field of human rights and Islamic law demonstrates the failure by Saudi Arabia to respect its national and international obligations in three specific areas in this case: the right to a fair trial, the right to freedom of expression and opinion, and finally, the absolute prohibition of torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment. It requests the Supreme Court to draw the appropriate conclusions in the light of these shortcomings and revoke the verdict against Mr. Badawi. The submission of this written argument comes as information brought forward last week revealed that the Supreme Court of Saudi Arabia would be once again hearing the case of Raif Badawi. By way of reminder, last June, the Court, at the request of the King of Saudi Arabia, confirmed the sentence of 10 years imprisonment, 1000 lashes, a 10 year ban on travel outside Saudi territory and a fine of over 300 000 Canadian dollars imposed on Mr.
[Show full text]
Congressional Record—Senate S2028
S2028 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE March 26, 2015 Last month, the Washington Post ran Raif’s lawyer, Waleed Abu al-Khair, a Many had hoped that new Ethiopian a powerful letter on its opinion page prominent human rights activist in his Prime Minister Hailemariam would written recently by Khadija where she own right and head of the Monitor of bring a change to his late predecessor’s states that the reason she is in prison Human Rights in Saudi Arabia, was human rights policies. is because of the regime’s corruption himself arrested and sentenced to 15 Unfortunately, last July the Ethio- and vows to continue to expose that years in prison followed by a ban on pian Government charged six bloggers corruption. Less than a week later the travel for 15 years. and three journalists—known collec- Azeri government suddenly called for a Also concerning is that his case was tively as the Zone 9 Bloggers—under a closed-door trial and found her guilty taken up by the Specialized Criminal broadly used terrorism law, despite any of criminal libel. Court in Jeddah, which was created in credible evidence be offered. To quote her piece in the Post: 2008 to deal with terrorist suspects but Sadly, these bloggers seem to have The fight between good and evil goes on, has also taken to trying human rights been arrested to narrow the already and the most important thing is that this activists on dubious charges. small space for free media expression fight should not end. If we can continue to I sent a letter to Saudi Arabia in in Ethiopia.
[Show full text]
Raif Badawi and Waleed Abulkhair
The Right to Freedom of Expression: Raif Badawi and Waleed Abulkhair “My grandfather was a Holocaust survivor and he used to take us to Speaker’s Corner. He was in awe of the freedom of speech there because he knew what it’s like not to have any… I chose to be a judge to stand between the individual and the power of the state.” (Judge Rinder, June 3rd 2017) Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has noted a global deterioration of press freedom in its 2017 World Press Freedom Index. Writers, activists, singers and poets are attacked or prosecuted and sometimes murdered for what they say in, for example Mexico, Russia, Belarus, Cambodia, Turkey, Zimbabwe, East Timor, Hungary and Bahrain. Saudi Arabia is currently ranked 168th out of 180 countries on the Index. 11 journalists and citizen journalists are currently jailed in Saudi Arabia. The cases of prisoners of conscience Raif Badawi and Waleed Abulkhair, imprisoned in Saudi Arabia for making public their views about aspects of Saudi Arabian society, show why it is essential to defend this right and show the price that some courageous individuals pay for saying what they think. On 17 June 2017 Raif Badawi will have been in prison for five years and he has become an international symbol of the right of freedom of expression. It will also be Waleed’s birthday. Raif Badawi is a blogger from Saudi Arabia. He started a blog called Free Saudi Liberals, which promoted democratic debate for all.[1] Raif was imprisoned by the Saudi authorities in 2012, charged with “setting up a website that undermines general security”, “ridiculing Islamic religious figures” and “going beyond the realm of obedience”.[2] Following a further trial for ‘apostasy’, which can carry the death penalty, Raif was sentenced to imprisonment for 10 years, fined 1 million riyal (about £200,000) and ordered to receive 1,000 lashes.
[Show full text]
Multiple Diplomatic Spats Raise Questions About Saudi Concept of Sovereignty
Multiple Diplomatic Spats Raise Questions About Saudi Concept of Sovereignty By James M. Dorsey Region: Middle East & North Africa Global Research, August 08, 2018 Theme: Intelligence Note to readers: please click the share buttons above The failure of Western allies to rally around Canada in its dispute with Saudi Arabia risks luring the kingdom into a false belief that economic sanctions will shield it from, if not reverse mounting criticism of its human rights record and conduct of the war in Yemen. It also risks convincing Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman that acting with impunity will not impinge on his efforts to attract badly needed foreign investment. In a sign of the times, Canada was this week not the only country to take a critical approach towards Saudi Arabia. Weeks after announcing the withdrawal of Malaysian troops from the 41-nation, Saudi-sponsored Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition (IMCTC), Malaysian defense minister Mohamad Sabu ordered the immediate closure of the Saudi-backed King Salman Centre for International Peace (KSCIP). The Saudi-funded centre was established during avisit to Malaysia last year by King Salmanto project the kingdom as a leader in the fight against political violence and the promotion of peace. The establishment of the centre constituted a shift in Saudi Arabia’s soft power strategy that for decades was premised on generous global funding of ultra- conservative strands of Sunni Muslim Islam. The centre would have also helped extend Saudi influence in Southeast Asia by bringing together Islamic scholars and intelligence agencies in an effort to counter extremist interpretations of Islam in cooperation with the Saudi-funded Islamic Science University of Malaysia, and the Muslim World League, a Saudi governmental non-governmental | 1 organization that long served as a vehicle for global propagation of ultra-conservatism.
[Show full text]
Download Report
INDEPENDENT HIGH LEVEL PANEL OF LEGAL EXPERTS ON MEDIA FREEDOM Appointed by Lord Neuberger of Abbotsbury at the request of the Governments of the United Kingdom and Canada A Pressing Concern: Protecting and Promoting Press Freedom by Strengthening Consular Support to Journalists at Risk Drafted by: the Honourable Professor Irwin Cotler, PC, OC, OQ © International Bar Association 2020 A Pressing Concern: Protecting and Promoting Press Freedom by Strengthening Consular Support to Journalists at Risk An International Bar Association Human Rights Institute Report 16 November 2020 Drafted by: the Honourable Professor Irwin Cotler, PC, OC, OQ With the executive summary and recommendations endorsed by the members of the High Level Panel of Legal Experts on Media Freedom: Lord David Neuberger (Chair) Amal Clooney (Deputy Chair) Ms. Hina Jilani Professor Dario Milo Professor Sarah Cleveland Baroness Helena Kennedy Mr. Can Yeğinsu Ms. Karuna Nundy Ms. Galina Arapova Justice Manuel José Cepeda Espinosa Professor Kyung-Sin Park Baroness Françoise Tulkens Ms. Catherine Anite Judge Robert D. Sack, Adviser 2 International Bar Association Human Rights Institute Contents Endorsements 6 Executive summary 7 The importance and imperative of consular assistance as a tool to protect journalist nationals at risk abroad: towards a legal paradigm of home State obligation 9 A legal approach to consular assistance for journalists at risk abroad 10 Journalists’ underlying rights when working abroad 12 What can be done to protect journalists working abroad? 13 TOWARDS A CHARTER OF RIGHTS FOR DETAINED JOURNALISTS: A NEW RIGHTS-BASED PARADIGM 13 PROTECTING JOURNALISTS’ RIGHTS ABROAD: ENSHRINING A CODE OF CONDUCT FOR THE PROVISION OF CONSULAR ASSISTANCE BY THE HOME STATE 15 Global accountability through an international commissioner 17 I.
[Show full text]
Raif Badawi Remains in Prison in Saudi Arabia for Expressing His Opinions
DANIEL PEARL AWARD for Courage and Integrity in Journalism Speaking Truth No Matter the CONSEQUENCES DANIEL PEARL AWARD RECIPIENT RAIF BADAWI REMAINS IN PRISON IN SAUDI ARABIA FOR EXPRESSING HIS OPINIONS BY GUNILLA aif Badawi is the recipient of the Los carried out, will most likely result in his death. LARSSON Angeles Press Club’s 2018 Daniel The writer, blogger, dissident and activist has Pearl Award for Courage and Integrity now been imprisoned in Saudi Arabia for more in Journalism. But he is not at the than six years. His only “crime” was expressing RBiltmore Hotel tonight to accept the honor. his opinions. Instead, his wife, Ensaf Haidar, and their three It’s a situation that has prompted an outcry children have travelled to Los Angeles on his around the globe. The Los Angeles Press Club behalf. sent a letter to Crown Prince Mohammad bin That’s because Badawi is in prison in Saudi Salman pleading for his release. The organiza- Arabia, serving a 10-year sentence, plus 1,000 tion Human Rights Watch stated, “The charges lashes, for “insulting Islam” by promoting against him, based solely [on] Badawi’s involve- human rights and equal rights for women in ment in setting up a website for peaceful discus- Saudi Arabia on his blog. His sentence, if fully sion about religion and religious ﬁgures, violate his right to freedom of expression.” Raif Badawi's wife, Ensaf Badawi was born Jan. 13, 1984, and grew up Haidar, will accept the Daniel in Jeddah and Riyadh. In his early 20s he started Pearl Award on his behalf.
[Show full text]
Canadian Atheist: Set XV
1 2 In-Sight Publishing 3 Canadian Atheist: Set XV 4 IN-SIGHT PUBLISHING Publisher since 2014 Published and distributed by In-Sight Publishing Fort Langley, British Columbia, Canada www.in-sightjournal.com Copyright © 2020 by Scott Douglas Jacobsen In-Sight Publishing established in 2014 as a not-for-profit alternative to the large commercial publishing houses who dominate the publishing industry. In-Sight Publishing operates in independent and public interests rather than in dependent and private ones, and remains committed to publishing innovative projects for free or low-cost while electronic and easily accessible for public domain consumption within communal, cultural, educational, moral, personal, scientific, and social values, sometimes or even often, deemed insufficient drivers based on understandable profit objectives. Thank you for the download of this ebook, your consumption, effort, interest, and time support independent and public publishing purposed for the encouragement and support of academic inquiry, creativity, diverse voices, freedom of expression, independent thought, intellectual freedom, and novel ideas. © 2014-2020 by Scott Douglas Jacobsen. All rights reserved. Original appearance in Canadian Atheist. Not a member or members of In-Sight Publishing, 2020 This first edition published in 2020 No parts of this collection may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized, in any form, or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented or created, which includes photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher or the individual co-author(s) or place of publication of individual articles. Independent Cataloguing-in-Publication Data No official catalogue record for this book, as an independent endeavour.
[Show full text]
Freedom to Publish. Challenges, Violations and Countries of Concern
Freedom to publish. Challenges, violations and countries of concern. Freedom to publish. Challenges, violations and countries of concern. Published by International Publishers Association and Norwegian Publishers Association 1 Freedom to publish. Challenges, violations and countries of concern. Freedom to publish. Challenges, violations and countries of concern. Freedom to publish. Challenges, violations and countries of concern. Author: Åsfrid Hegdal, Norwegian Publishers Association Copyright © 2020 International Publishers Association Members of the Advisory Board: Kristenn Einarsson, Chair, IPA Freedom to Publish committee, CEO Norwegian Publishers Association Giulia Marangoni, officer in the International Affairs Department of AIE, Italian Publishers Association Geoff Shandler, Editorial Director of Custom House, Chair of the AAP’s Freedom to Publish Committee James Taylor, Director of Communication, IPA Translation and copyediting: Kristin Rødland Buick and Ailsa Buick Layout and Design: Iconic Media Solutions Ltd. Contact person for queries and updates: James Taylor: [email protected] This report was commissioned for the 33rd International Publishers Congress in Lillehammer 2020, that was cancelled due to COVID-19. 4 Freedom to publish. Challenges, violations and countries of concern. TABLE OF CONTENTS The work of the International Publishers Association 1 Executive summary 2 The changing face of threats to freedom to publish 5 IPA Freedom to Publish Manifesto 7 What is the situation of freedom to publish around
[Show full text]
Congressional Record—Senate S2027
March 26, 2015 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S2027 RECOGNIZING AID FOR AIDS OF an expert perspective on several com- POLITICAL PRISONERS IN AZER- NEVADA AND THEIR 25TH AN- munity and State boards, including the BAIJAN, SAUDI ARABIA, AND NUAL AIDS WALK Governor’s Commission on Aging; the ETHIOPIA Mr. REID. Mr. President, today I rec- Nevada Legislative Task Force for a Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, we have ognize Aid for AIDS of Nevada and the Healthy Nevada; the University of Ne- a number of challenging foreign policy 25th Annual AIDS Walk in Las Vegas, vada, Las Vegas Center for Aging; and issues at the moment—from Russian NV. the Nevada Elder Abuse Prevention aggression in Ukraine to ISIL and the Established in 1984, Aid for AIDS of Council. Syrian civil war to stemming climate Nevada, AFAN, is the oldest and larg- Carla Sloan has devoted her career to change. est AIDS service organization in the improving the lives of Nevada’s sen- Yet amid these larger demands, it is State. Each year, AFAN serves more iors. I commend her dedicated service important to remember there are many than 3,500 individuals and families in to the Silver State, and I wish her the smaller struggles going on all over the southern Nevada who are living with best in her future endeavors and retire- world that are also important—strug- HIV/AIDS. This organization provides a ment. gles for basic political freedoms which range of services to help people living f can still result in jailings or worse. with HIV/AIDS manage their disease, Today I would like to mention a including medical case management, JO MACKEY ACADEMY OF LEAD- number of such brave individuals who housing assistance, and nutritional ERSHIP AND GLOBAL COMMU- are being detained for exercising or ad- services.
[Show full text]
The Kingdom Came to Canada
THE KINGDOM CAME TO CANADA How Saudi-Linked Digital Espionage Reached Canadian Soil By Bill Marczak, John Scott-Railton, Adam Senft, Bahr Abdul Razzak, and Ron Deibert OCTOBER 1, 2018 RESEARCH REPORT #115 Copyright © The Citizen Lab Licensed under the Creative Commons BY-SA 4.0 (Attribution-ShareAlike licence). Electronic version first published in 2018 by the Citizen Lab. This work can be accessed through https://citizenlab.ca/2018/10/the-kingdom- came-to-canada-how-saudi-linked-digital-espionage-reached-canadian- soil/. Document Version: 1.0 The Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license under which this report is licensed lets you freely copy, distribute, remix, transform, and build on it, as long as you: • give appropriate credit; • indicate whether you made changes; and • use and link to the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence. However, any rights in excerpts reproduced in this report remain with their respective authors; and any rights in brand and product names and associated logos remain with their respective owners. Uses of these that are protected by copyright or trademark rights require the rightsholder’s prior written agreement. Suggested Citation Bill Marczak, John Scott-Railton, Adam Senft , Bahr Abdul Razzak, and Ron Deibert. “The Kingdom Came to Canada: How Saudi-Linked Digital Espionage Reached Canadian Soil,” Citizen Lab Research Report No. 115, University of Toronto, October 2018. Acknowledgements We thank Omar Abdulaziz for assisting with the investigation and consenting to the publication of this research. Being the victim of targeted digital espionage can be stigmatizing and we recognize his personal bravery for agreeing to be named.
[Show full text]
Freedom of Expression, Advocacy of Humanist Values the Law Guarantees Freedom of Speech, but Press Laws Place Restrictions on Journalists
1 2 THE FREEDOM OF THOUGHT REPORT 2015 3 Freedom of Thought 2015: A Global Report on Discrimination Against Humanists, Atheists, and the Non-religious; Their Human Rights and Legal Status, was created by the International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU). The International Humanist and Ethical Union is the worldwide democratic body for Humanist, atheist, rationalist, secular, ethical culture, and freethought organizations. Its mission is to represent and support the global Humanist movement, and to build a world in which human rights are respected and all can live a life of dignity. If you have updates, additions or corrections for the report please email [email protected] or visit the website at freethoughtreport.com. To receive updates and news from IHEU, or join as a supporter, visit iheu.org. The cover image features a detail from a map produced using the data from this report. 4 5 This map shows countries by to their “Freedom of Thought” status, as determined in the Freedom of Thought Report 2015. Ratings applied according to the most severe boundary condition met by a given country. For example if a person can go to prison under the penal code of a given country for a religiously-defined crime such as “blasphemy”, then this country would receive a “Serious Discrimination” rating (even if the country otherwise was relatively free and non-discriminatory). The full list of boundary conditions and country-by-country assessments are included in this Report. Iheu.org freethoughtreport.com 6 “My late husband, Avijit Roy, was a science author, a blogger, a writer on topics including the origins of the whole Universe, homosexuality, the evolution of love and everything including literary criticism in between.
[Show full text]
Senator Richard Durbin Statement on March 26, 2015 Political Prisoners in Azerbaijan, Saudi Arabia, and Ethiopia PDF: [Page: S2027] GPO’S PDF
Senator Richard Durbin Statement on March 26, 2015 Political Prisoners in Azerbaijan, Saudi Arabia, and Ethiopia PDF: [Page: S2027] GPO’s PDF -- Mr. DURBIN: Mr. President, we have a number of challenging foreign policy issues at the moment – from Russian aggression in Ukraine to ISIL and the Syrian civil war to stemming climate change. Yet amid these larger demands, it is important to remember there are many smaller struggles going on all over the world that are also important – struggles for basic political freedoms which can still result in jailings or worse. Today I would like to mention a number of such brave individuals who are being detained for exercising or advocating for such democratic values. First, I am deeply troubled by the recent crackdown on human rights activists in Azerbaijan – part of a disturbing pattern in that country that has significantly deteriorated during the last year. The New York Times summed it up nicely in its recent editorial by describing Azeri President Aliyev as a modern-day “Jekyll and Hyde” who is able to convince the world that he plays nice with the West while creating one of the worst human rights records at the same time. Aliyev wants the world to believe that Azerbaijan is a model country that promotes moderate Islam, has strong relations with the West, and is an ideal host for the upcoming European games, yet it currently holds more political prisoners than Russia and Belarus combined – not a great distinction to be sure. At the end of 2014, Aliyev’s henchmen brazenly raided Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty offices in Baku, just weeks after the government arrested one of the country’s best known investigative reporters, Khadija Ismayilova.
[Show full text]