Saudi Arabia/Canada: Advocates ‘internationalize’ the fight to free Raif Badawi from Saudi prison

August 18, 2019

More than seven years after Raif Badawi was thrown in prison, lawyers and allies of the Saudi blogger are increasingly lobbying foreign governments in an effort to secure his release as Saudi Arabia prepares to host next year’s G-20 meeting.

Irwin Cotler, a human rights lawyer and former federal justice minister who represents the family internationally, says advocates for Badawi have recently been meeting with foreign governments, UN representatives and others to encourage them to call for the release of Badawi, his sister Samar, their former lawyer Waleed Abulkhair and other imprisoned human rights defenders.

Cotler sat down with The Canadian Press to discuss the intensifying effort to free the 35-year-old Badawi, who was arrested on June 17, 2012, and was later sentenced to 1,000 lashes and 10 years in jail for his online criticism of Saudi clerics.

Cotler said it is urgent “to both internationalize and intensify our advocacy” as Saudi Arabia chairs the G-20 ahead of the meeting in Riyadh in November 2020.

That effort appeared to yield results last month when U.S. Vice-President Mike Pence called on Saudi Arabia to free Badawi as well as three other jailed dissidents.

The four dissidents, Pence said, “have stood in defence of religious liberty and the exercise of their faith despite unimaginable pressure, and the American people stand with them.”

…

Advocates ‘internationalize’ the fight to free Raif Badawi from Saudi prison

Raif Badawi case: Efforts to free jailed blogger continue after 7 years

https://www.uscirf.gov/news-room/press-releases-statements/uscirf-vice-chair-nadine-maenza-calls-release-imprisoned-saudi

Mike Pence’s call for Raif Badawi’s release from Saudi prison a shot in the arm for dispirited wife

http://www.abajournal.com/web/article/imprisoned-saudi-lawyer-receives-this-years-international-human-rights-award

https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2019/07/how-saudi-arabia-makes-dissidents-disappear

https://thehill.com/policy/international/middle-east-north-africa/455776-saudi-arabia-frees-us-citizen-after-nearly-two

http://www.ludovictrarieux.org/uk-page3.callplt2015.htm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waleed_Abulkhair

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raif_Badawi

https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/1265068/arabie-saoudite-priso-ben-salmane (FRANCAIS)

https://www.les-crises.fr/le-lobby-pro-saoudien-aux-etats-unis-par-rene-naba/ (FRANCAIS)

http://www.ludovictrarieux.org/fr-page3.remplt2015.htm (FRANCAIS)

https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waleed_Abu_al-Khair (FRANCAIS)

https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raif_Badawi (FRANCAIS)

USA/Saudi Arabia: Imprisoned Saudi lawyer receives this year’s ABA International Human Rights Award

August 8, 2019

A human rights lawyer who was convicted on anti-terrorism charges and sentenced to 15 years in prison—simply for calling for the rule of law in Saudi Arabia—will receive the 2019 ABA International Human Rights Award during the ABA Annual Meeting in San Francisco.

Saudi lawyer Waleed Abu al-Khair founded Monitor for Human Rights, one of the only human rights organizations in Saudi Arabia, in 2008, according to an ABA press release. He dedicated his legal career to defending human rights and the right to freedom of expression, and pushed for an elected parliament, independent judiciary, constitutional monarchy and other reforms in his country.

“Abu al-Khair epitomizes the ideals of what lawyers around the world are fighting for,” ABA President Bob Carlson told the ABA Journal. “His efforts defending vulnerable clients, advocating for an independent judiciary and democratic reforms in Saudi Arabia literally cost him his freedom.

“The ABA hopes this award may highlight his situation and bring prominence to the noble causes he supports.”

Abu al-Khair was banned from representing some defendants in courts in 2009, but still represented Samar Badawi, a Saudi woman and human rights activist who was jailed after her father accused her of disobedience under their county’s male guardianship system, the following year. Badawi was released after Abu al-Khair shared details of her case in blogs and on Twitter and Facebook.

They married, and Badawi advocated for Abu al-Khair’s release until she was rearrested in 2018.

Abu al-Khair also represented Badawi’s brother, Raif, a blogger who was arrested in 2012 after establishing the Free Saudi Liberals website. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison and 1,000 blows with a cane.

Abu al-Khair’s 2014 arrest and conviction largely stemmed from comments he made to the media and on social media that criticized Saudi Arabia’s human rights record, discussions of human rights in his home and his defense of activists who were punished for criticizing the government, according to Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International.

The human rights organizations say the specific charges against him included disobeying the ruler and seeking to remove his legitimacy; insulting the judiciary and questioning the integrity of judges; setting up an unlicensed organization; harming the reputation of the state by communicating with international organizations; and preparing, storing and sending information that harms public order.

His full 15-year sentence was upheld by a Saudi appeals court in 2015 after he refused to apologize for the alleged offenses. He is currently in the Dhahban Central Prison in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

…

http://www.abajournal.com/web/article/imprisoned-saudi-lawyer-receives-this-years-international-human-rights-award

http://www.abajournal.com/web/article/2019-aba-annual-meeting-what-can-you-expect

https://www.americanbar.org/news/abanews/aba-news-archives/2019/06/saudi-lawyer-waleed-abu-al-khair-to-receive-2019-aba-internation/

Abu al-Khair to receive ABA Award

https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/04/15/saudi-arabia-5-years-activist-still-behind-bars

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waleed_Abulkhair

http://hourriya-tagheer.org/15934 (ARABIC)

https://www.hrw.org/fr/news/2019/04/15/arabie-saoudite-cinquieme-annee-de-prison-pour-lactiviste-waleed-abu-al-khair (FRANCAIS)

http://www.ludovictrarieux.org/fr-page3.remplt2015.htm (FRANCAIS)

https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waleed_Abu_al-Khair (FRANCAIS)

#FreeWaleed

Proud to receive tonight on behalf of @WaleedAbulkhair the prestigious 2019 International Human Rights award from the American Bar Association (ABA):https://t.co/Q0utcLOn7v

— هالة الدوسري (@Hala_Aldosari) August 9, 2019

During my meeting with @ChrisMurphyCT & @rbalsaud today, I stressed the importance of an end to the disastrous war in Yemen & the need to address serious human rights concerns in Saudi Arabia, including the release of Raif Badawi, Waleed Abu al-Khair, and Walid Fitaihi. pic.twitter.com/QMn1QzbrmM

— Senator Dick Durbin (@SenatorDurbin) July 24, 2019

#ArabieSaoudite Le prix DH 2019 @ABAesq décerné à l'avocat emprisonné Waleed Abu al-Khair, qui défend notamment le bloggeur Raif Badawi https://t.co/wwzKcv4iwo

— Patrick Henry (@patrhenry) August 8, 2019

China/The Philippines/Saudi Arabia/Turkey: Statement: Attacks on lawyers in China, Philippines, Saudi Arabia and Turkey

July 2, 2019

On 1 July 2019, Lawyers for Lawyers together with Lawyers’ Rights Watch Canada and the Human Rights Institute of the International Bar Association delivered a joint oral statement to the Human Rights Council on the attacks on lawyers in China, Philippines, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. The statement was delivered during the 41st session of the Council.

 

The statement reads as follows:

Mr. President,

In countries where lawyers are imprisoned and prosecuted for defending rights, there is no equal access to justice or protection of rights.

In China, numerous human rights lawyers have been disappeared, arbitrarily imprisoned, tortured, or disbarred. In Saudi Arabia, lawyer Waleed Abu al-Khair is one of hundreds of rights defenders arbitrarily convicted and detained. In Turkey, 311 lawyers have been arbitrarily convicted and detained since July 2016. In the Philippines, 40 jurists are among the “staggering number” of victims of extrajudicial killings since July 2016. Last month, eleven Special Procedures mandate holders called for an independent investigation of grave abuses in the Philippines.

We urge Council to:

…

Statement: Attacks on lawyers in China, Philippines, Saudi Arabia and Turkey

Saudi Arabia/USA: Saudi lawyer Waleed Abu al-Khair to receive 2019 ABA International Human Rights Award

June 21, 2019

The American Bar Association announced today that it will honor Saudi lawyer Waleed Abu al-Khair with its 2019 ABA International Human Rights Award in recognition of his work to advance human rights and advocate for justice in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The award will be presented during a dinner at the ABA Annual Meeting in San Francisco, August 8, 7:30 p.m. at the Westin St. Francis Hotel.

The International Human Rights Award was established to honor and give public recognition to a lawyer, human rights luminary or international human rights organization that has made an exceptional contribution to the advancement of human rights outside of the United States. The award is given on behalf of the ABA Center for Human Rights, Section of International Law, Section of Civil Rights and Social Justice, Section of Litigation and Rule of Law Initiative.

Abu al-Khair is the founder of Monitor for Human Rights, one of only a few human rights organizations in Saudi Arabia, which he established in 2008, just a year after he began practicing law. As an attorney, Abu al-Khair dedicated his career to defending human rights and the right to freedom of expression, even after government authorities banned him in 2009 from representing specific defendants in courts. Abu al-Khair also used his legal background to advocate for an elected parliament, independent judiciary and other democratic reforms in Saudi Arabia.

…

https://www.americanbar.org/news/abanews/aba-news-archives/2019/06/saudi-lawyer-waleed-abu-al-khair-to-receive-2019-aba-internation/

https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/04/15/saudi-arabia-5-years-activist-still-behind-bars

Abu al-Khair to receive ABA Award

https://www.gc4hr.org/news/view/2159

http://www.abajournal.com/web/article/2019-aba-annual-meeting-what-can-you-expect

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waleed_Abulkhair

https://www.hrw.org/fr/news/2019/04/15/arabie-saoudite-cinquieme-annee-de-prison-pour-lactiviste-waleed-abu-al-khair (FRANCAIS)

https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waleed_Abu_al-Khair (FRANCAIS)

June 17 Waleed Abu al-khair, @WaleedAbulkhair will turn 40. Waleed, a lawyer & a human rights activist, the head of the organization Monitor of Human Rights in Saudi Arabia (MHRSA) was arrested April 15, 2014 and sentenced to 15 years imprisonment.#FreeWaleed pic.twitter.com/LQn2C1RB0C

— Kristin Helene ❤️ (@KristinHelene) June 14, 2019

Saudi Arabia/UK: Protest at Saudi Embassy to support detained rights lawyer Waleed Abu Al-Khair

April 26, 2019

This month marks five years since human rights lawyer and activist @WaleedAbulkhair was arrested.

We are here now at the @SaudiEmbassyUK calling for his immediate release, and of all prisoners of conscience in #Saudi Arabia.#StandWithSaudiHeroes #FreeWaleed pic.twitter.com/9ZSiSuVjwS

— القسط ALQST (@ALQST_ORG) April 26, 2019

This month marks five years since the arrest of human rights lawyer @WaleedAbulkhair.

Join us tomorrow at 1pm outside the @SaudiEmbassyUK to call for his release and all other prisoners of conscience in #Saudi Arabia. #FreeWaleed #StandWithSaudiHeroeshttps://t.co/5Hvnq5YJcY pic.twitter.com/8vUQ8LOP68

— القسط ALQST (@ALQST_ORG) April 25, 2019

Cinquième année de prison pour l’activiste Waleed Abu al-Khair. N’oublions jamais Waleed et les autres activistes qui sont torturés dans des prisons saoudiennes !!

— justice et dignité (@daoudrebelle) April 25, 2019

5 Years On, Saudi Arabian Activist Waleed Abu al-Khair Still Behind Bars

https://www.facebook.com/events/428158044656205/

http://www.ludovictrarieux.org/uk-page3.callplt2015.htm

HRW calls on Saudi Arabia to release human rights lawyer

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waleed_Abulkhair

Saudi Arabia Executes 37 in One Day and Escalates Crackdown on Dissent

https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/saudi-arabia-executions-cruel-travesty-justice

HRW calls on Saudi Arabia to release human rights lawyer | RTNews24

HRW calls on Saudi Arabia to release human rights lawyer | RTNews24

http://www.ludovictrarieux.org/fr-page3.remplt2015.htm (FRANCAIS)

https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waleed_Abu_al-Khair (FRANCAIS)

#FreeWaleed

Saudi Arabia – Both teens when arrested & yesterday beheaded. 1 was on his way to Michigan Univ.
Human rights charity Reprieve said al-Hawaj beaten, tortured with electricity -chained with his hands above head until he 'confessed' to his crimes. Denied lawyers. pic.twitter.com/Y0Y3eQ9QcW

— Blanche V. Mercaldi (@tammytabby) April 25, 2019

Saudi Arabia: 5 Years On, Activist Still Behind Bars

April 15, 2019

Saudi authorities should immediately release the prominent human rights lawyer Waleed Abu al-Khair, who was sentenced in 2014 to 15 years in prison solely for his peaceful human rights advocacy, Human Rights Watch said today.

The Specialized Criminal Court (SCC), Saudi Arabia’s terrorism tribunal, convicted Abu al-Khair in July 2014 primarily for his comments to media outlets and tweets criticizing Saudi Arabia’s human rights record, especially the country’s harsh sentences against peaceful critics. In addition to his 15-year sentence, the court also issued a 15-year travel ban and imposed a fine of 200,000 Saudi Riyals (US$53,000).

 

“Stifling peaceful dissent with outrageous sentences has shown the Saudi government’s lack of commitment to serious political and civil reform,” said Michael Page, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. “A serious reform campaign, no matter how Saudi-funded public relations propagandists spin it, doesn’t entail locking up human rights defenders for 15 years for courageously speaking up.”

Abu al-Khair’s trial before the Specialized Criminal Court opened in October 2013. Following his fifth trial session on April 15, 2014, the interior minister issued a detention order, and Abu al-Khair has remained in detention since then. He is in al-Dhahban prison, north of Jeddah.

In its July 2014 decision, the court found Abu al-Khair guilty on six charges: “seeking to remove legitimate authority;” “harming public order in the state and its officials;” “inflaming public opinion and disparaging and insulting judicial authority;” “publicly slandering the judiciary, distorting the kingdom’s reputation, making international organizations hostile to the kingdom, and issuing unverified statements that harm the kingdom’s reputation and incite against it and alienate it;” “founding an unlicensed organization;” and violating Saudi Arabia’s anti-cybercrime law.

Abu al-Khair is a lawyer who has represented several others facing human rights violations as a legal advocate, and also founded Monitor of Human Rights in Saudi Arabia, a human rights organization that published information about human rights issues in the kingdom.

…

https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/04/15/saudi-arabia-5-years-activist-still-behind-bars

HRW calls on Saudi Arabia to release human rights lawyer

https://www.ifex.org/saudi_arabia/2019/03/25/al-qahtani-mistreatment/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waleed_Abulkhair

https://www.hrw.org/fr/news/2019/04/15/arabie-saoudite-cinquieme-annee-de-prison-pour-lactiviste-waleed-abu-al-khair?fbclid=IwAR39PqALljbp4s6mak76nEPU-aPkyK-qjQEXest7mqYKNozoB-xzgLm1e_8 (FRANCAIS)

https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waleed_Abu_al-Khair (FRANCAIS)

#FreeWaleed

It's now been 5 years since Waleed Abu al-Khair, Saudi human rights lawyer, was detained for “inciting public opinion.” @HRF published a law review analyzing his case: https://t.co/6jnI0rN4zF. We also wrote about it in the @washingtonpost: https://t.co/dfI0oCbnQX #ReleaseWaleed

— HRF (@HRF) April 15, 2019

In 2018, along with Abdullah al-Hamid, Mohammad Fahad al-Qahtani – two co-founders of the ACPRA human rights group, Waleed Abu al-Khair was awarded the Right Livelihood Award. See: https://t.co/myAnkP7Dnc Today, ALQST renews its call for his immediate and unconditional release

— القسط ALQST (@ALQST_ORG) April 15, 2019

Saudi Arabia: New wave of arrests targeting human rights community must stop!

April 11, 2019

On 09 April 2019, the Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR) received a list of at least 13 names of human rights defenders, including women’s rights activists, who are confirmed to have been arrested in Saudi Arabia this month. The Saudi authorities carried out a new wave of arrests of writers and social media bloggers who were previously engaged in public discourse on reforms.

Since 04 April, many Saudi activists and bloggers, including academics, have been tweeting intensively about this new crackdown. The international community is still struggling to reason with, put pressure on and hold Saudi Arabia accountable for its human rights violations. This includes the arbitrary arrest and torture of women human rights defenders, including prominent women’s rights activist Loujain Al-Hathloul, who has yet to be released on bail as expected yet. The Saudi authorities continue to ignore, deny and act with utmost impunity and intransigence.

GCHR’s source (who must be kept anonymous for their safety) stated that “these arrests were orchestrated since February and linked to their support for the women activists’ families.” GCHR believes that Saudi Arabia is exerting every effort to shut down civic space, silence the human rights community and exterminate the feminist movement in the kingdom.

The list of names includes:

1. Salah Al-Haidar, Aziza Al-Yousef’s son and a US citizen
2. Bader Al-Ibrahim, Saudi-US citizen (writer & physician)
3. Mohammed Al-Sadiq (writer)
4. Thumar Al-Marzouqi (writer)
5. Khadijah Al-Harbi (feminist writer), the wife of Thumar Al-Marzouqi, pregnant
6. Fahad Abalkhail (an activist who previously supported the women driving) https://youtu.be/qQkXXicGpso
7. Abdullah Al-Dehailan (writer)
8. Naif Al-Hendas (writer)
9. Ayman Al-Drees (writer and translator)
10. Moqbel Al-Saqqar (novelist)
11. Abdullah Al-Shehri (lawyer)
12. Redha Al-Bori (blogger and writer)
13. Ali Al-Saffar (writer)

Shaikhah Al-Urf, the wife of the detained lawyer Abdullah Al-Shehri, has also been suspected as detained because of lost communication with her, but her arrest couldn’t be confirmed

Anas Al-Mazrou, a lecturer at King Saud university, has also been detained after posting a question in a public panel at Riyadh Book Fair last month on the whereabouts of the jailed human rights and women activists.

The newly-detained activists and human rights defenders are being held incommunicado, while their families remain without any contact with them and unaware of their whereabouts and/or the charges against them, to date.

…

https://www.gc4hr.org/news/view/2111

https://www.ifex.org/saudi_arabia/2019/04/14/rights-defenders-arrested/

https://www.bignewsnetwork.com/news/260460569/saudi-arabia-arrests-at-least-13-more-human-rights-defenders?utm_source=feeds.bignewsnetwork.com&utm_medium=referral