Urgent Statement: Flogging of Raif Badawi will resume - Fondation Raif Badawi

I was informed by an informed source, that the Saudi authorities have given the green light to the resumption of Raif Badawi’s flogging. The informed source also said that the flogging will resume soon but will be administered inside the prison.

It is worth mentioning that the same source had warned me of Raif’s pending flogging at the beginning of January 2015 and his warning was confirmed, as Raif was flogged on 9th January.

While i do not understand this decision especially as Raif’s case is still being reviewed by the supreme court according to a senior source in the Saudi Ministry of Justice and according to the statement of UK Foreign Office minister, Tobias Ellwood, who told the House of Commons in July that my husband’s case was still being examined by Saudi judges.


Urgent Statement: Flogging of Raif Badawi will resume - Fondation Raif Badawi

Anger after Saudi Arabia 'chosen to head key UN human rights panel' | World | News | The Independent

There are no words to describe the utter shock this news has generated:

The Saudi regime makes a mockery of every single American ideal. It bans freedom of speech, prohibits religious liberty, and executes accused adulterers and gays. By giving a pass to one of the cruelest dictatorships on Earth, we betray the very essence of the American experience.
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In its slavish, bi-partisan and seemingly bottomless appeasement of Saudi Arabia, the free world is exacerbating an already dangerous situation. The Saudi regime will fall, radicalism will rise, and terror will continue to spread. The West could improve the chances of stability and peace by supporting moderates, defending political prisoners and linking arms to improvements in human rights. The more open the society, the less it will threaten the world.

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The United Nations is coming under fire for handing Saudi Arabia a key human rights role even though the Kingdom has “arguably the worst record in the world” on freedoms for women, minorities and dissidents.

Critics, including the wife of imprisoned pro-democracy blogger Raif Badawi – sentenced to 1000 lashes for blogging about free speech – say that the appointment is “scandalous” and means that “oil trumps human rights”.

Mr Badawi’s wife, Ensaf Haidar, who is leading an international campaign to free her husband, said on Facebook that handing the role to Faisal bin Hassan Trad, Saudi Arabia’s ambassador at the UN in Geneva, was effectively “a green light to start flogging [him] again”.

UN Watch, an independent campaigning NGO, has discovered that Mr Trad, Saudi Arabia’s ambassador at the UN in Geneva, has been elected as chair of a panel of independent experts on the UN Human Rights Council.

Anger after Saudi Arabia 'chosen to head key UN human rights panel' | World | News | The Independent

ADDENDUM::For wife of imprisoned Saudi blogger Raif Badawi: ‘It’s a life of waiting’ - The Washington Post

Haidar, who lives in exile in Canada with their three young children, is in Washington this week, meeting with members of Congress and officials at the State Department trying to persuade the U.S. government to put more effort into seeking her husband’s release.
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“He is just a blogger,” said Haidar, 36, a tiny woman whose speech is careful and contained, and without any trace of anger. “He has been away from his kids and his family for four years, and there is no valid reason for that. He’s just a very peaceful writer.”
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“It’s time for the White House to make human rights in Saudi Arabia a top priority,” he said. “For too long the U.S. government has put geopolitics and the energy relationship over the basic freedoms and human rights of the Saudi Arabian people.”

Badawi’s case is seen by human rights groups as part of a campaign by the Saudi government to punish activists, bloggers, journalists and anyone else who challenges the country’s political or religious establishment.

He is the best known of about a dozen or so activists currently in Saudi jails, including Mohammad al-Qahtani, a human rights activist with a doctorate from Indiana University, and Waleed Abulkhair, a human rights lawyer who has represented Badawi. Qahtani is serving ten years, and Abulkhair is serving 15.

For wife of imprisoned Saudi blogger Raif Badawi: ‘It’s a life of waiting’ - The Washington Post

URGENT::Raif Badawi's wife outraged as UN appoints Saudi Arabia rep to lead human rights panel

As Ali Rizvi has stated, "This is why the Nobel Prize should step in and send a clear message from the civilized world:"

The United Nations has appointed Saudi Arabia representative Faisal bin Hassan Trad as head of a key human rights panel that is tasked with naming experts that determine global human rights standards. Among those criticising the UN for the appointment is non-governmental watchdog UN Watch and Ensaf Haidar, the wife of the imprisoned blogger Raif Badawi, who has been flogged in public in Saudi Arabia.

Haidar claimed that this will lead to Saudi being able to flog Badawi again. UN Watch has called upon US ambassador to the UN Samantha Power and EU foreign minister Federica Mogherini to condemn the appointment.

UN Watch director Hillel Neuer said that the choice is scandalous, saying that the country has beheaded more people in 2015 than the Islamic State has. "Petro-dollars and politics have trumped human rights," he said. "Saudi Arabia has arguably the worst record in the world when it comes to religious freedom and women's rights, and continues to imprison the innocent blogger Raif Badawi.

"This UN appointment is like making a pyromaniac into the town fire chief, and underscores the credibility deficit of a human rights council that already counts Russia, Cuba, China, Qatar and Venezuela among its elected members."

Raif Badawi's wife outraged as UN appoints Saudi Arabia rep to lead human rights panel

Millions of people rallied to the support of Raif Badawi – who will care for a poor young man in Mauritania? - Comment - Voices - The Independent

I will admit, I had to look it up.  I have never heard of the West African country of (Islamic Republic of) Mauritania.  According to what I could find, they still have slavery and are a major player in human trafficking. The current government is hugely corrupt, with rampant misogyny (female genital mutilation was only recently outlawed) and child labor.  Sounds like a bad place to be anything but Islamic, let alone a writer who criticized the ‘prophet’ Mohammed.

Know just that little bit make the following plea from the pen of Ensaf Haider, wife of imprisoned blogger, Raif Badawi, all the more poignant.

During December 2013, a young Mauritanian blogger called Mohamed Cheikh Ould Mkhaitir wrote a blog where he defended the rights of his people in Mauritania, who are used and exploited based on their history when they were slaves.

In the article he referred to the double standards used by the prophet Muhammad himself when he dealt with the Jews and the Arabs. He said that the prophet killed the Jews but forgave the Arabs because they are his blood. In his blog, he tried to show how religion plays a role in the social hierarchy and discrimination between social classes.

Some people in Mauritania took to the streets demonstrating against the article, shouting “death to the blogger”. It was considered a blasphemy towards the prophet, because it showed the prophet as an unjust person who preferred his tribe over others.

The authorities arrested Mohamed Cheikh on 2 January 2014 and he appeared in court in December, which sentenced him to death on the same day. Before the announcement of the sentence, he pronounced the Shahada and made clear that he was a Muslim, explaining that his intention was not to criticise the Prophet. He also apologised for what he wrote.

Millions of people rallied to the support of Raif Badawi – who will care for a poor young man in Mauritania? - Comment - Voices - The Independent

10 Years in Jail & 1,000 Lashes: In Conversation with Ensaf Haidar - YouTube

As I am fairly certain I am "preachin' to the choir" in regards to those of you who visit Havoc and Chaos, it is still a good to reminder as to who Raif Badawi is and why he sits in a Saudi jail.**

In 2013, ",,,a court in Saudi Arabia handed down a shocking sentence to a young man named Raif Badawi: seven years in prison and 600 lashes. Badawi's crime,"Founding a website, Liberal Saudi Network, that was dedicated to fostering debate on religion and politics; and calling on his country to respect freedom of religion, belief, and expression, and women's rights. According to the Saudi court, Badawi, 30, was guilty of "insulting Islam."

As CFI noted, citing Amnesty International, "Badawi's sentence was overturned by an appeals court, and his case was sent for review to Jeddah's Criminal Court."  BUT, in May of 2014 CFI reported, ",,,we have received bad news: the Criminal Court has sentenced Badawi to ten years in prison, 1,000 lashes, and a one million riyal fine (USD $266,631)."

In September of 2014, CFI as well as others reported that Raif's sentence was upheld. Meaning, "Badawi's sentence is final, and that Saudi officials could begin to impose lashes on Badawi within several weeks. According to the final decision, Badawi will receive 50 lashes per session, with a break of no less than a week between sessions. The lashings will be carried out in public after Friday prayers in front of al-Jafali mosque in Jeddah."

As of now, 11:51 AM (EDT) 8/28/2015,Raif has only received one round of lashes.  But it is Friday and fear remains.  Which all of the preceding brings me to this, Ensaf Haider, the wife of Raif Badawi.

I have no words to described what is contained in this video other than devotion, courage and strength.  It is those same qualities that make this video all the more incredible as Ensaf can't answer a couple of questions regarding Saudi Arabia out of fear that it might jeopardize Raif's fate.  It is all the more amazing that Ensaf continues to travel and share Raif's plight, most recently The Non Conference held in Kitchener, Ontario (August 21-22).  Although I was not able to attend, my partner in crime was.** 

My take away from VICE's interview, besides needing a tissue and awe at this amazing woman, Ensaf's thoughts concerning the apparent hypocrisy of the Canadian government [7:50 mark] - Raif's imprisonment and punishment yet maintaining a important trade relationship with Saudi:  "Raif's cause has nothing to do with issues of political or economic exchanges between states, it is an exclusively humanitarian cause."  That to me is grace under pressure.

10 Years in Jail & 1,000 Lashes: In Conversation with Ensaf Haidar - YouTube

**Please note that in regards to Raif's plight I am a "noob", hence the mini history lesson. As I have stated before, the debauchery surrounding Islam for some reason never "interested" me.  My bias of "it doesn't affect me" clouded the humanist in me to the point of total ignorance.  That changed as I "met" new people, specifically my friend and fellow host of Beyond the Trailer Park, Deborah McTaggart, who has a keen interest in Islam and all its atrocities.

Over the course of the past 2 months, BTTP has been graced by the presence (directly and indirectly) of many ex-Muslims affected by the horrible ideology espoused by various Islamic regimes.  It was through talking with these individuals that I realized I can't ignore the human rights abuses any more.

As of this writing details are still being finalized to have Ensaf join us on BTTP.  Regretfully our first attempt fell through due to issues with translation.  Ensaf does not speak English and Deb's French suks (her words, not mine).  So hopefully in the near future I will be able to post my impressions and experience.

Raif Badawi: Saudi Arabia's Supreme Court reviewing case of jailed blogger - Middle East - World - The Independent

Saudi Arabia’s Supreme Court is again reviewing the case of jailed blogger Raif Badawi, raising the possibility that his draconian sentence may be reduced, his family has told The Independent.

Mr Badawi’s wife Ensaf Haidar said she had been informed of the development by a senior source in the Saudi Ministry of Justice. The blogger’s family said they were hopeful that the move by the kingdom’s highest court is a “good signal” that his sentence is under reconsideration.

Ms Haidar added that the news was “clouded with secrecy and ambiguity” and that she was still extremely worried for her husband’s welfare. “I do hope that it will be a beginning to correct the course of Raif’s case – I repeat, I am hoping,” she said.

“I cannot say that this is good news, just that I hope it is a good sign. I expect that the flogging could still happen at any time, especially as the court could confirm the verdict then return for more deliberation, and all of this is done in complete secrecy. We do not know even on what basis the court is making its decisions.”

Raif Badawi: Saudi Arabia's Supreme Court reviewing case of jailed blogger - Middle East - World - The Independent