Raif Badawi

Raif Badawi
Jimmy Wales says Badawi should be released from prison.

Raif Badawi (Arabic: رائف بدوي‎; born 13 January 1984) is a Saudi Arabian writer and activist. He started the website Free Saudi Liberals in 2008. He was arrested in 2012 because of the website. The website was then taken off the internet. Badawi was sentenced to 10 years in prison and being hit with a whip: 1000 lashes (or hits).[1] Media said in March 2022, that Badawi no longer is in prison.[2]

Badawi has also been banned from any media work or foreign travel for 10 years after his release from prison.[3] Badawi's first 50 lashes were given on January 9, 2015.[4] After that, Badawi's lashes were postponed many times.[5] In June 2015, a Saudi high court ruled that Badawi should be lashed but the lashing was postponed hours before it was going to happen.[6] Badawi's wife called Ensaf Haidar believes he is weak in body and suffering mentally. She fears this may be a slow death sentence.[7]

Badawi's sister Samar Badawi is also an activist. Her husband Waleed Abul-Khair is Raif's lawyer. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison in July 2014. Samar is working to get both her brother and husband released from prison.

References

  1. ↑ "Saudi Arabia: 1,000 lashes for editor of site that discussed religion". The Independent. 8 May 2014. Archived from the original on 13 October 2017. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
  2. ↑ https://direkte.vg.no/nyhetsdognet/news/bloggeren-raif-badawi-skal-ha-blitt-loeslatt-fra-fengsel-i-saudi-arabia.fPVIiFTno?utm_source=vgfront&utm_content=hovedlopet_row5_pos1. VG.no. Retrieved March 11, 2022
  3. ↑ "West urged to help Saudi blogger". 15 January 2015 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  4. ↑ Associated Press (10 January 2015). "Saudi blogger receives first 50 lashes of sentence for 'insulting Islam'" – via www.theguardian.com.
  5. ↑ "Saudi blogger Raif Badawi spared flogging again this week" – via The Globe and Mail.
  6. ↑ "Quebec opens its doors to imprisoned Saudi blogger Raif Badawi - CBC News". CBC. CBC News. Jun 12, 2015 [last update: 7:34 AM ET].
  7. ↑ "Saudi blogger's 'slow death sentence'". BBC News.