Free Raif Badawi

Plakataktion in Hamburg, Dezember 2014

Plakataktion in Hamburg, Dezember 2014

Seit Juni 2012 sitzt der saudische Blogger Raif Badawi nun schon im Gefängnis (siehe hier), im Mai 2014 wurde er von einem Gericht in Dschidda rechtskräftig wegen “Beleidigung des Islam” und dem Betreiben einer liberalen Website zu 10 Jahren Haft, 1000 Peitschenhieben und einer Geldstrafe von 1 Millionen Rial (rund 190.000 Euro) verurteilt. Um seinen Tod zu vermeiden soll ihm die Prügelstrafe nach dem Willen der saudischen Behörden zu je 50 Hieben an 20 aufeinander folgenden Freitagen, jeweils nach dem Freitagsgebet, verabreicht werden. Raif Badawis einziges Vergehen: Er betrieb eine liberale Website, auf der er von der prinzipiellen Gleichwertigkeit von Muslimen, Juden, Christen und Atheisten schrieb, was als Beweis für eine „Beleidigung des Islam“ gewertet wurde. Gegen diese Strafe und für seine sofortige Freilassung läuft eine weltweite Kampagne, die aktuell von Amnesty International im Rahmen des jährlichen Briefmarathons unterstützt wird, an dem man sich noch bis Mittwoch, den 17.12.2014 23:59 Uhr beteiligen kann. Innerhalb der vergangenen Woche sind knapp eine Millionen Unterstützer/innen zusammen gekommen. Auch Reporter ohne Grenzen sammeln aktuell Unterschriften für die Freilassung Raif Badawis und in vielen Ländern finden immer wieder Aktionen vor saudischen Botschaften statt. Auch diverse Regierungen setzen sich mittlerweile aktiv für die Freilassung Raif Badawis ein. Die PEN-Zentren Deutschlands, Schwedens, Dänemarks und Kanadas haben Raif Badawi zum Ehrenmitglied ernannt.
Anfragen zu Raif Badawi und Protestbriefe können an alle saudischen Botschaften, aber auch an das saudische Prestigeobjekt in Europa, das in Wien ansässige König Abdullah Zentrum für interreligiösen und interkulturellen Dialog, gerichtet werden.

Raif Badawis Familie in Kanada

Raif Badawis Familie in Kanada

Auf Initiative Ensaf Haidars, der Ehefrau Raif Badawis, die mit den gemeinsamen drei Kindern in Kanada Asyl gefunden hat, wurden Anfang Dezember die im Folgenden dokumentierten Briefe an die beiden einflussreichen saudischen Prinzen Mutaib bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud (Minister of the National Guard) und Muqrin bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (Second Deputy Prime Minister) versendet. Die 74 Unterzeichnerinnen und Unterzeichner (Wissenschaftlerinnen, Schriftsteller, Politikerinnen, Künstler, Journalistinnen und Intellektuelle) bitten darin unter anderem um die sofortige Freilassung Raif Badawis und die Einstellung aller Verfahren gegen ihn.

4        December 2014
-His Highness Prince Mutaib bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud
Minister of the National Guard
Riyadh
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

-His Highness Prince Muqrin bin Abdulaziz Al Saud
Second Deputy Prime Minister
Riyadh
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

-Your Highness Prince Muqrin bin Abdulaziz Al Saud
-Your Highness Prince Mutaib bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud

We, the signatories, intellectuals, lawmakers, artists and human rights defenders from different countries, are writing you to express our deep concern about the case of Raif Badawi, who has been in jail in Saudi Arabia since 2012 for peaceful expression of his opinion.

Raif Badawi, a liberal activist and founder of the Free Saudi Liberals website, was sentenced to 10 years in prison, 1000 lashes, a 10 year travel ban, a 10 year ban from participating in visual, electronic and written media and a fine of 1 million riyals for insulting Islam and religious authorities.

Raif’s website, created in 2006, was a platform dedicated to fostering open discussion of religion and politics. The online forum has been offline since his arrest in 2012.

On September 1, 2014, the Court of Appeal in Jeddah upheld the sentence that was imposed on Badawi on May 7.

Raif Badawi only crime is his courageous and peaceful exercise of his right to freedom of expression. He was a voice of reason, warning of the social and political consequences of religious fundamentalism. Many Saudi writers and intellectuals are voicing these concerns publicly today in Saudi media. Yet Raif Badawi is singled out and remains incarcerated.

Given the grave injustice that Raif Badawi endures, we call on you to intervene and secure:

1.         The immediate and unconditional release of Raif Badawi and his reunification with his wife and three children;
2.         The dropping of all charges against him;
3.         See that his sentence is quashed;
4.         See that the authorities refrain from carrying out the flogging punishment against him;
5.         Finally, we call on Saudi Arabia – a member of the Human Rights Council – to respect its obligations under international human rights conventions and to ratify without reservation the International Covenant on Civil and Politics Rights.

Thank you for your attention to this important matter.

Yours sincerely,

Signatories

  • Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na‘im, Charles Howard Candler Professor of Law, Emory University School of Law, United States
  • Hamed Abdel-Samad, Political Scientist and Author, Germany
  • Renate Ahrens, Writer, Ireland/Germany
  • Gabrielle Alioth, Writer, Ireland
  • Helene Aecherli, Journalist, Switzerland
  • M. Cherif Bassiouni, Emeritus Distinguished Professor of Law, DePaul University School of Law, United States
  • Karima Bennoune, Professor of Law, University of California, Davis School of Law and Martin Luther King, Jr. Hall Research Scholar, United States
  • Manassi Bernard, Chief Executive Global Minorities Alliance, United Kingdom
  • Nathalie Borgers, Filmmaker, Austria
  • Hans Jürgen Breitbarth, Visiting Speaker Berlin-Hohenschönhausen Memorial, Germany
  • Irène Bourquin, Writer, Member of PEN Centre for German Speaking Authors in Foreign Countries
  • Brigitte Bühler-Probst, Writer and Ethnologist, Boston, MA (USA).
  • Bob Churchill, Communications Officer, International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU)
  • Valentina Colombo, Professor of History of Islamic countries, European University, Rome
  • Hubert Dammer, Executive Director of Exile Pen, Germany
  • Michael De Dora, Director of Public Policy, Representative to the United Nations Center for Inquiry
  • Esther Dischereit, Professor for the Art of Language and Writer, University of Applied Art, Vienne, Wien
  •  Efgani Dönmez, Member of the Federal Council of Austria
  •  Frank Ebert, Robert-Havemann Society, Berlin, Germany
  • Sonja Eggerickx, President of the International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU)
  •  Kacem El Ghazzali, Writer and Human Rights Activist, Switzerland
  • Sascha Feuchert, Vice-President of the German PEN and literary Scholar, Germany
  • Ramin Forghani, Vice Chair of Scottish Secular Society, United Kingdom
  • Ralf Fuecks, President, Heinrich Böll – Foundation, Berlin, Germany
  • Dagmar Galin, Author, France
  • Dr. Stefanie Golisch, Writer, Monza, Italy
  • Elfriede Hammerl, Writer, Austria
  • Heiko Heinisch, Historian und Author, Austria
  • Gerold Hildebrand, Social Scientist, Germany
  • Barbara Honigmann, Writer, Germany
  • Oliver Jeges, Journalist, Berlin
  •  Kevin Johnson, Dean, University of California, Davis School of Law, United States
  • Tehmina Kazi, Human Rights activist, United Kingdom
  • Necla Kelek, Sociologist und Author
  • Freya Klier, Writer/ Film Director, Berlin, Germany
  • Uta Leichsenring, Police President a.D., Association “Against Forgetting For Democracy”, Germany
  • Frederick A. Lubich, Professor for Foreign Languages & Literatures, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia, USA
  • Khalid Mahmood, Member of Parliament, Labour Party, UK
  • Elham Manea, writer and Associate Professor of Politics, Zurich University, Switzerland
  • Chris Moos, LSESU Atheist, Secularist and Humanist society
  • Maryam Namazi, One Law for All, United Kingdom
  •  Roxana Nicula, Secretaria de Acción Ciudadana, Federal Executive Committee Member, Individual Freedom Party, Spain
  • Hans-Christian Oeser, Publisher and Literatur Translator, Dublin
  • Alessandro Pagano, Member of the Italian Parliament
  • Dr. Sandra Pingel-Schliemann, Political Scientist and writer, Germany
  • Geertje Suhr Potash, Writer, Chicago
  • Willy Puchner, Artist, Vienna, Austria
  • Utz Rachowski, Writer, Citizen advisor to victims of the former German Democratic Republic, Member of PEN Centre of German-Speaking Writers Abroad, Germany
  • Dr. Andrea Reiter, Professor of German Studies, University of Southampton, UK
  • Reporters without Borders (France).
  • Peter Rosenthal, Doctor and Author,
  • Martin Dreyfus, Writer, Member of Exile Pen, Switzerland
  • Gita Sahgal, Executive Director, Centre for Secular Space
  • Ulrich W. Sahm, Journalist, Middle East Correspondence
  • Shahla Khan Salter, Director of Universalist Muslims, Canada
  • Dr. Ilko-Sascha Kowalczuk, Historian and Author, Berlin/Bayreuth, Germany
  • Souad Sbai, Politician and former Member of the Italian Parliament, Italy
  • Dr. Christine Scholten, Austria
  • Nina Scholz, Political Scientist, Author
  • Roberto Schopflocher, Writer, Buenos Aires
  • Dr. Hannes Schwenger, Writer and publicist, Berlin, Germany
  •  Dr. Jérôme Segal, Assistant professor, University Paris-Sorbonne, France
  • Tristan Sindelgruber, Filmmaker, Austria
  • Anne-Marie Slaughter, President and CEO New America Foundation, USA
  • Kate Smurthwaite, Comedian and Activist, United Kingdom
  • Benjamin Stein, Writer, München
  • Guy Stern, Scholar of literature, Germany
  • Dr. jur. Tilman Tarach, lawyer & writer, Germany
  • Ruth Weiss, Writer, Anti Apartheid Activist, South Africa, UK and Germany
  • Reinhard Weißhuhn, Member of the Executive Board of Robert-Havemann-Society, Germany
  • Tanja Windbüchler, Member of Parliament, Green Party, Austria
  • Dr. Deborah Vietor-Engländer, Writer and Researcher, Technical University Darmstadt, Germany
  • Alishba Zameen, Pakistani Canadian Activist
  • Ani Zonneveld, Founder and President of Muslims for Progressive Values, United States

2 Gedanken zu “Free Raif Badawi

  1. Ich finde es unglaublich, was Menschen leiden müssen, bloß weil sie eine eigene Meinung haben, die sie öffentlich äußern. Diese Familie wurde auseinandergerissen, Kinder müssen ohne ihren Vater leben und ich möchte nicht wissen, wie sich Peitschehhiebe auf nackter Haut anfühlen. Menschenrechte müssen universal gelten und universal eingehalten werden. Bitte, lasst Raif Badawi frei.

  2. Saudi-Arabien ist kein Gottesstaat, sondern ein Land des Teufels! WAs dort geschieht, hat mit Gott und der Lehre des °Propheten Mohammed nichts zu tun!
    Lasst Raif Badawi frei und zwar sofort!

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