Don’t forget – Saudi Arabia
Human rights activist, blogger and Liberal International Prize for freedom laureate Raif Badawi has now spent more than nine years imprisoned in Saudi Arabia. International efforts to pressure for his release, including entreaties ahead of the Saudi G20 presidency last year, have so far been unsuccessful. Instead, the repression of dissent and human rights defenders in Saudi Arabia is escalating.
Badawi was detained in 2012 after creating the website “Free Saudi Liberals” where he advocated for liberalism and secularism. In 2014 he was sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment, 1 000 lashes, and a fine for “insulting Islam”. The first 50 lashes were given in 2015, the remainder postponed for health concerns. In early 2020, the practice of flogging was abolished in the country.
Badawi’s case has attracted much international attention. In 2015 he was awarded the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought by the European Parliament and the Liberal International Prize for Freedom in 2016. Saudi authorities have nonetheless ignored demands for his release.
Non-existent civil rights
In a country ranked 170th out of 180 in the Reporters Without Borders 2021 World Press Freedom Index, Badawi’s case is no anomaly. In Saudi Arabia, government critics, women’s rights activists, human rights defenders, relatives of activists, journalists, as well as members of the Shia minority are arbitrarily imprisoned on a regular basis. Surveillance technology is used to target dissidents. The maltreatment and torture of prisoners is regularly reported.
The gruesome murder of Saudi journalist and government critic Jamal Khashoggi in 2018 served as another reminder of the severe human rights situation in Saudi Arabia. Despite widespread condemnations and the diplomatic crisis that followed, top-level officials implicated in the murder have not been held accountable, and Saudi Arabia was still awarded the G20 presidency in 2020.
The presidency temporarily beamed a spotlight on the country, which inter alia resulted in a significant decline in the use of death penalties. However, repression rebounded once the G20 presidency ended. During the period of January-July 2021, more executions were completed than during the entire last year.
Despite recent assurances that reforms will be made to ensure that human rights are respected, tyrannical practices continue.
The international community must not forget
Raif Badawi will soon complete his ten-year sentence. His release is planned for late February 2022. However, many released political prisoners in Saudi Arabia are subject to restrictions including on social media use and travel. Badawi will face a ten-year travel ban. He may not be able to reunite with his family who is living in Canada for the foreseeable future.
It is of utmost importance that the international community does not forget the situation of Raif Badawi and other political prisoners in Saudi Arabia. We must continue to call attention to these cases, defend the rights of these champions of freedom, and hold the Saudi leadership accountable for their acts.
This article is the first part of Liberal International’s “Don’t Forget” series reporting about ongoing human rights abuses around the world that no longer make news headlines but still merit urgent international attention.
If you have a situation you would like to highlight, please contact office@liberal-international.org.
