Today’s News Concerning Raif Badawi
(This is a re-blog of today’s post along with a statement from Raif Badawi’s wife. I will have more as details become available, on Facebook and elsewhere, and I will provide links.)
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Raif Badawi
Raif Badawi: Is an End in Sight?
Yves Rossier, Switzerland’s Secretary of Foreign Affairs, told a Swiss newspaper, La Liberté, yesterday that Saudi blogger Raif Badawi’s sentence has been suspended.
“A royal pardon is in the works thanks to the head of state, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud,” Rossier added.
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Winner of the Sakharov Prize: Raif Badawi
Raif Badawi was named the winner of the 2015 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought this morning. Today is his 1253rd day spent in jail for being a writer. He is the first winner from Saudi Arabia.
The prize carries with it an award of €50,000 but no guarantees of personal safety; the 2011 winner, Razan Zaitouneh, a Syrian human rights lawyer, was kidnapped in 2013 and her whereabouts remain unknown. A high-placed source informed Ensaf Haidar, Raif’s wife, two days ago that an official go-ahead was delivered this week to resume caning him, possibly as soon as tomorrow. Saudi officials certainly knew that Raif Badawi was one of three finalists for this prestigious international award and they certainly are aware that he is this year’s laureate.
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The Gad About Town 