Raif's case was featured in last month's Write 4 Rights campaign. He received 50 of the 1000 lashes he was sentenced to receive. Please add your voice…..
From: Urgent Action Network [mailto:uan@aiusa.org ]
Sent: Friday, January 09, 2015 6:26 PM
Subject: Immediate Action Needed! Raif Badawi Flogged in Vicious Act of Cruelty (This is the Seventh Update for Urgent Action 3/13)
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| | 2) Call the Saudi Arabian Embassy in Washington DC at 1.202.342.3800 RAIF BADAWI FLOGGED IN VICIOUS ACT OF CRUELTY Saudi Arabian activist Raif Badawi was publicly flogged on 9 January in front of the al-Jafali mosque in Jeddah. He is at risk of receiving the remaining 950 lashes over the coming weeks. Raif Badawi received his first set of 50 lashes on 9 January. According to a witness, he was removed from a bus in shackles and brought to the public square in front of the mosque after the prayers ended. Surrounded by a crowd made up of the public and a number of security officers, he received 50 consecutive lashes on his back and legs. The whole ordeal lasted around 15 minutes. Afterwards he was put back in the bus and taken away. It is feared that Raif Badawi will receive his next set of lashes within two weeks. According to the final court decision, he will be receiving no more than 50 lashes per session, with a break of no less than a week between sessions. Flogging violates the absolute prohibition of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment and punishment in international law. Badawi was sentenced by the Criminal Court in Jeddah on 7 May 2014 to 10 years in prison and 1,000 lashes, followed by a 10-year travel ban, a ban on using media outlets, and a fine of one million Saudi Arabian riyals (about US$266,600). The conviction and sentence stemmed from Raif Badawi's creation of the Saudi Arabian Liberals website (which the court ordered to be closed) and the accusation that he had "insulted Islam". The Court of Appeal in Jeddah upheld the sentence on 1 September. |
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| ADDITIONAL INFORMATION Raif Badawi's trial began in July 2012 before the General Court in Jeddah. On 21 January 2013, the General Court sent the case to the Criminal Court in Jeddah, saying it did not have jurisdiction to examine the case because it did not find that Raif Badawi had insulted Islam and therefore an "apostasy" charge did not apply. The General Prosecutor, however, insisted that Raif Badawi should be tried for "apostasy". The case was then sent to an appeal court to determine whether it should be heard by the Criminal Court in Jeddah or another tribunal, in particular the General Court in Jeddah, which has jurisdiction over "apostasy" cases. The Court of Appeal in Jeddah referred the case to the Criminal Court and on 29 July 2013 Raif Badawi was sentenced to seven years in prison and 600 lashes. His lawyer appealed the decision arguing that the case had been dealt with by a temporary judge who was not impartial. On 11 December 2013 the Court of Appeal ruled that the case should be reviewed again and sent it back before the Criminal Court in Jeddah. On 25 December 2013, the judge in the Criminal Court ruled that he did not have jurisdiction to review the case, arguing that the charges related to "apostasy". The case was sent back to the Court of Appeal in Jeddah to decide whether to send the case back to the Criminal Court or to examine it itself. The Court of Appeal sent the case back to Jeddah's Criminal Court which sentenced Raif Badawi on 7 May 2014 to 10 years in prison, 1,000 lashes and a fine of 1 million Saudi Arabian riyals (about US$266,600). Raif Badawi appealed, but on 1 September the Court of Appeal upheld the sentence. Issues: Torture/ill-treatment, Prisoner of conscience, Freedom of expression Further information on UA: 3/13 (4 January 2013) and updates (8 July 2013, 31 July 2013, 20 January 2014, 23 May 2014, 1 September 2014 and 8 January 2015) Please let us know if you took action so that we can track our impact! EITHER send a short email to uan@aiusa.org with "UA 3/13" in the subject line, and include in the body of the email the number of letters and/or emails you sent. Thank you for taking action! Please check with the AIUSA Urgent Action Office if sending appeals after the above date. This is the seventh update of UA 3/13. Further information: http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/MDE23/016/2014/en. If you receive a response from a government official, please forward it to us at uan@aiusa.org or to the Urgent Action Office address below. |
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| HOW YOU CAN HELP | 
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| Please write immediately in Arabic, English or your own language: - Expressing profound disturbance at the flogging of Raif Badawi, which is a flagrant violation of the prohibition on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment in international law;
- Calling on the authorities to put a stop to any further flogging of Raif Badawi;
- Calling on them to release him immediately and unconditionally as he is a prisoner of conscience, detained solely for exercising his right to freedom of expression;
- Calling on them to ensure that his conviction and sentence are quashed.
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| PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY: King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud The Custodian of the two Holy Mosques Office of His Majesty the King Fax: (via Ministry of the Interior) 011 966 11 403 3125 (please keep trying) His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Naif bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud Ministry of the Interior, P.O. Box 2933, Airport Road, Riyadh 11134 Fax: 011 966 11 403 3125 (please keep trying) Salutation: Your Excellency | And copies to: President, Human Rights Commission Bandar Mohammed 'Abdullah al-Aiban PO Box 58889, Riyadh 11515 Ambassador Adel A. Al-Jubeir, Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia 601 New Hampshire Ave. NW, Washington DC 20037 |
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| We encourage you to share Urgent Actions with your friends and colleagues! When you share with your networks, instead of forwarding the original email, please use the "Forward this email to a friend" link found at the very bottom of this email. Thank you for your activism! |
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