Reliable sources confirm that today, on 9 January 2015, Saudi human rights defender Raif Badawi received 50 lashes in public outside Al-Jafali mosque in Jeddah. Eye witnesses reported that he was brought outside the mosque handcuffed and shackled. The lashes, which started after the Friday prayer, reportedly caused him a lot of psychological as well as physical pain.

On 1 September 2014, the Court of Appeal in Jeddah upheld Badawi’s harsh sentence  of 10 years in prison, 1000 lashes, a 10-year travel ban to start on expiration of his jail sentence, a ban on using media outlets and a fine of one million Saudi Riyals (about US$266,600). He was sentenced on 7 May 2014 after being detained for almost two years in connection with the creation of a critical website and his calls for reforms in the Kingdom.

Badawi is co-founder and editor of the website Liberal Saudi Network, an on-line forum created to foster political and social debate in Saudi Arabia. He has been detained since 17 June 2012 in a prison in Briman in Jeddah. For further information see a previous appeal at https://www.gc4hr.org/news/view/728.

Authorities at the Ministry of Interior gave the order for Badawi to receive the 1000 lashes over 20 weeks in public outside Al-Jafali mosque in Jeddah during 20 sessions of 50 lashes each. The punishment commenced this week.

The Monitor for Human Rights in Saudi Arabia (MHRSA) and the Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR) condemn in the strongest terms the harsh treatment of Raif Badawi, including flogging in a public place, solely due to his peaceful human rights activities. We believe that he is being targeted and publicly flogged to insult him in addition to intimidating others from working as defenders of human rights.

The MHRSA and GCHR urge the authorities in Saudi Arabia to:

1. Immediately halt the lashing of human rights defender Raif Badawi;

2. Immediately and unconditionally release human rights defender Raif Badawi;

3. Guarantee the physical and psychological integrity and security of Raif Badawi;

4. Guarantee in all circumstances that all human rights defenders in Saudi Arabia are able to carry out their legitimate human rights activities without fear of reprisals and free of all restrictions including judicial harassment. 

The MHRSA and GCHR respectfully remind you that the United Nations Declaration on the Right and Responsibility of Individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognised Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, adopted by consensus by the UN General Assembly on 9 December 1998, recognises the legitimacy of the activities of human rights defenders, their right to freedom of association and to carry out their activities without fear of reprisals. We would particularly draw your attention to Article 5 (c): “For the purpose of promoting and protecting human rights and fundamental freedoms, everyone has the right, individually and in association with others, at the national and international levels: (c) To communicate with non-governmental or intergovernmental organizations” and to Article 6 (c): “Everyone has the right, individually and in association with others: (c) To study, discuss, form and hold opinions on the observance, both in law and in practice, of all human rights and fundamental freedoms and, through these and other appropriate means, to draw public attention to those matters.”