Who is Raif Badawi?
Raif Badawi, who blogged at ‘Free Saudi Liberals’ first rose to international prominence in June 2012 when he was arrested in his native Saudi Arabia under Cyber crime laws,for insulting Islam through electronic channels. Later that year, apostasy was added to the charges against him. If convicted, he could have faced the death penalty.
Following years of legal battles and international pressure, the final sentence Raif Badawi received is 10 years in jail, 1,000 lashes and a fine equivalent t $267,000. His lawyer, Waleed Abdulkhair was sentenced to 15 years in jail for ‘undermining the authorities’…
After 50 of these lashed had been administered early in 2015 in front of a Jeddah mosque and hundreds of spectators, many people from all over the world had stepped up and offered to suffer a portion of Badawi’s lashes on his behalf. Instead, the Saudi government announced that the rest of the lashing shall be postponed due to Badawi’s poor health condition.
Last week, Raif Badawi made news again for having been awarded the prestigious EU Sakharov prize for human rights – the latest one of the many international prizes for writing, human rights and bravery that he has already been honoured with.
Raif Badawi’s wife, Ensaf Haidar, who lives with their three daughters in Canada since having received political asylum here in 2013, had been notified that the lashing will resume.
Which brings us to the protest:
Date: Monday, November 2nd 2015
Time: 11:00 am to 12:00 noon
Place: Saudi Arabian Embassy, 201 Sussex St., Ottawa
It is unthinkable that in today’s modern world, a young man should be beaten to death by his government simply for speaking as a sovereign human being.
Let’s all come out and show our support for Raif Badawi and to protest the barbarity that is Sharia!!!
Xanthippa's Chamberpot 