30-year-old Raif Badawi, a Saudi Arabian writer and activist, was sentenced last year to seven years in prison and 600 lashes. Badawi’s crimes? Founding a website, Liberal Saudi Network, dedicated to fostering open discussion of 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 was guilty of ridiculing Islam. In the midst of his appeals process, Badawi could soon be charged with apostasy. The penalty for apostasy in Saudi Arabia is death.
To make matters worse, a Saudi court recently jailed Badawi’s lawyer, Waleed Sami Abu Al-Khair, for his human rights activism.
There are global protests May 3.
In support of Badawi, the Center for Inquiry joins Muslims for Progressive Values in organizing a protest at the Saudi Arabian Embassy on Saturday, May 3, at 3:00 p.m. The embassy is located at 601 New Hampshire Ave NW, Washington, D.C. 20037, near the Foggy Bottom stop on the Metro.
The D.C. protest is part of several demonstrations set to take place May 3, organized under the banner of “Stand for Raif Badawi on World Press Freedom Day.” Other locations include Ottawa, Canada; Madrid, Spain; Bern, Switzerland; Tunis, Tunisia; and London, UK.
If you can attend, please join our Facebook event or email Michael De Dora at mdedora@centerforinquiry.net. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own signs, though some signs will be provided.
Please come out on Saturday, May 3 to demand the release of Raif Badawi and be part of a global movement standing up for fundamental human rights!
In 2003, GW Bush invaded Iraq on pretty much the grounds of “9/11”. Which Saddam Hussein, a very bad man, had nothing to do with. The countries he SHOULD have gone to war with, if he was going to war at all, were:
1. Afghanistan (done, botched thanks to Donald Rumsfeld and the Iraq war.)
2. Saudi Arabia (source of pretty much ALL Al Queda funding)
3. Pakistan
4. Egypt
@ Trebuchet
Well, in Afghanistan, if not so much with Afghanistan. And that could have been skipped entirely (at least at that time) if Bush wasn’t such an ass and simply provided the evidence we had of who was responsible. We could have had the major actors handed right over to us. Some of them were already in custody, IIRC.
It is odd that a post on what is currently happening in Saudi Arabic elicits responses whose main focus is a former president of another country.
It is odd that a post on what is currently happening in Saudi Arabic elicits responses whose main focus is a former president of another country.
I’m used to it. Idiots abound.
Saudi Arabia recently passed a law that pretty much defines any and all dissent as “terrorism”. Owning a copy of “The Three Little Pigs” would be considered an act of terror.
I think that western countries should ban entry to all Saudis except dissidents and refugees, like this young man.
Saudi royals can go and source their whores, champagne and cocaine in Yemen…
Particularly ironic in light of yesterday’s post…..