Justin Trudeau
Canada's Liberal leader and Prime Minister-designate Justin Trudeau speaks during a news conference in Ottawa, Ontario, October 20, 2015. Reuters/Chris Wattie

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he was not ready yet to call Saudi Arabian authorities and ask for the release of jailed Saudi blogger Raif Badawi because of his unacceptable comments on Saudi clerics.

Badawi was arrested in 2012 for starting a website calling for social change in Saudi Arabia, which the nation took as a criticism. He was sentenced to 1,000 lashes and 10 years of imprisonment in 2014 after he criticised the social culture of Saudi Arabia. Badawi was a writer by profession, but his wife Ensaf Haidar and three children were subjected to political asylum in Quebec in 2013.

In an interview with The Canadian Press on Wednesday, Trudeau said that he is not inclined to make a call on behalf of Badawi now as it is not under his immediate plan of actions. “Raif Badawi has a family who are here in Canada, which gives a certain connection,” he said. “It’s a humanitarian case on which we continue to express ourselves in a clear fashion.”

The Prime Minister said that Foreign Affairs Minister Stephane Dion was working on the matter and will compel authorities to honour international legislations. Dion met with his Saudi counterpart, Adel Al Jubeir, in Ottawa on Thursday and had discussions on various issues, including Badawi’s imprisonment.

“I expressed the government’s hope that clemency will be granted in this case,” Dion said in a statement. Trudeau’s comments on the matter are noteworthy as he and his party members supported the issue even when he was an opposition leader and asked the then-Prime Minister Stephen Harper to talk to the Saudi king regarding his release on request of his wife.

In October, Badawi was awarded with the prestigious Sakharov Prize because of his brave participation in promoting freedom of speech. Badawi’s wife announced in November that the jailed blogger began his hunger strike after he was shifted to a remote penitentiary.

Contact the writer at feedback@ibtimes.com.au, or let us know what you think below.

RELATED STORIES