Canada Offers to Take Jailed Saudi Blogger Raif Badawi: Family Pleads For King’s Pardon

Canada has offered to take Raif Badawi, a jailed Saudi blogger sentenced for flogging and imprisonment, for preaching liberal ideas. According to sources, Canada has listed Badawi as a priority immigrant on humanitarian grounds so that he can rejoin his family, which is already in Canada. Accordingly, the province of Quebec has offered Badawi an immigration selection certificate. Badawi’s family lives in Sherbrooke, Quebec. His wife, Ensaf Haidar and three children had fled to Quebec from Saudi Arabia.

The immigration selection certificate is expected to help Badawi to immigrate more rapidly to Quebec when he is set free. "These are issued in exceptional circumstances to foreigners in need of protection," Quebec Immigration Minister Kathleen Weil said and added that by obtaining the selection certificate from Quebec, Badawi can pursue immigration procedures with the federal government. The certificate will be given to Haidar at a ceremony in Montreal very soon. Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney noted that the offer will help Badawi immigrate to Canada and “break the logjam and have a happy ending to this.”

Global Outrage

There has been worldwide outrage after a lower court in Saudi Arabia sentenced Badawi to 1,000 lashes and 10 years in jail for insulting Islam. The 31-year-old Badawi has already received first 50 lashes outside a mosque in Jeddah on January 9. Subsequent lashes have been put off. The blogger was also slapped a large fine of $266,600 for promoting liberal ideas, which included advocacy for more democracy in the kingdom and criticism on Islam.

Badawi’s flogging was scheduled to resume on June 12 but did not take place. Possibility is that the floggings were put off because of the international outcry or for health reasons. The blogger’s conviction was upheld by the Saudi Supreme Court in June. Now his sentence can be overturned only by a royal pardon from the country's new King, Salman.

Amnesty’s Concern

Mirelle Eichacar, an Amnesty International official from Sherbrooke in Quebec said: “The federal (government) is not moving sufficiently in our opinion. We want Canada to do more . . . The ball is in its court and it can take stronger steps for Badawi to be reunited with his family.”

Elham Manea, a spokesperson for the family said the family is happy that Badawi was not flogged on Friday. The family also pleaded with King Salman to pardon the blogger and allow him to reunite with his family. Manea expressed gratitude to all those who campaigned for freeing Badawi.

(For feedback/comments, contact the writer at k.kumar@ibtimes.com.au)