Rights Group Slams 600-Lash Sentence for Saudi Editor
Image by getty images
An international rights group condemned the sentencing of a Saudi Arabian website founder to be whipped 600 times and jailed for seven years for violating Islamic values, saying it undermined the kingdom’s stated support for religious debate.
A court in Jeddah handed down the sentence on Raif Badawi, who started the ‘Free Social Liberals’ website to discuss the role of religion in Saudi Arabia, Saudi media reported on Tuesday.
“This incredibly harsh sentence for a peaceful blogger makes a mockery of Saudi Arabia’s claims that it supports reform and religious dialogue,” said Nadim Houry, deputy Middle East director at U.S.-based Human Rights Watch.
The United States said it was deeply concerned about the case. “We believe that when public speech is deemed offensive, be it via social media or any other means, the issue is best addressed through open dialogue and honest debate,” State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told a briefing on Tuesday.
Calls by Reuters to request comment from the Saudi information ministry were not answered.
The world’s top oil exporter follows the strict Wahhabi school of Islam and applies Islamic law, or sharia. Judges base their decisions on their own interpretation of religious law instead of precedent or a written legal code.
While King Abdullah has pushed for reforms to the legal system, Saudi lawyers say conservatives in the judiciary have resisted implementing many of those changes. Last year, a Saudi-backed centre named after the king was opened in Vienna to promote interfaith dialogue worldwide.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we need 500 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Our Goal: 500 gifts during our Passover Pledge Drive!
