Badawi supporters fear flogging will resume
Jailed Saudi blogger has received 50 confirmed lashes out of the 1,000 sentenced
MONTREAL— Supporters of jailed Saudi blogger Raif Badawi are sounding the alarm that his flogging could soon resume.
The Montreal-based foundation that bears Badawi’s name said this week it has it on good authority his punishment will begin again.
The information comes from the same “private source” who informed Badawi’s family in Canada about the first series of lashes, which took place in January 2015.
Evelyne Abitbol, the foundation’s executive director, conceded Tuesday it isn’t known for sure if or when the lashes will resume.
Nonetheless, the organization found the information credible enough to convey it publicly.
“We believe this information is right because it came from the same source,” Abitbol said.
“We thought: If we don’t do anything and he is flogged, we would not be happy about not alerting the international community.”
The blogger was sentenced to 10 years in jail, 1,000 lashes and a large fine following a 2014 conviction for his criticism of Saudi clerics.
Badawi, who was arrested in 2012 and received the first 50 lashes in 2015, is not believed to have had any since, for health reasons.
Supporters are urging the Saudi government to stop the punishment and allow him to rejoin his family.
Badawi is not a Canadian citizen, but his wife, Ensaf Haidar, and their three children live in Sherbrooke, Que.
Amnesty International’s Quebec branch says it is trying to independently verify the information about Badawi.
Anne Sainte-Marie, a spokesperson for the human-rights organization, says its team on the ground in Saudi Arabia is looking into it.
Badawi’s imprisonment has drawn widespread condemnation in Canada and abroad.
Earlier this month, Haidar was in Ottawa and implored Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government to help.
Ottawa has sought clemency for Badawi and pressed Saudi officials about the case, but is stymied because he isn’t a Canadian citizen.
In December, Trudeau said he wasn’t ready to directly intervene in the case.
Abitbol said supporters are in the dark about diplomatic discussions or any other efforts undertaken in recent months.