A court has convicted an activist of violating Saudi Arabia’s anti-cybercrime law and sentenced him to 600 lashes and 7 years in prison. Human Rights Watch said the verdict “makes a mockery” of claims that the country supports religious dialogue.
The Criminal Court in Jeddah found Raif Badawi, the founder of the Free Saudi Liberals website, guilty of insulting Islam through his online forum, created in 2008 to discuss the role of religion in Saudi Arabia freely.
Last year a prominent cleric issued a religious ruling declaring
Badawi an “unbeliever… and apostate who must be tried and
sentenced according to what his words require.” Sheikh
Abdulrahman al-Barrak claimed that Badawi allegedly said
that “Muslims, Jews, Christians, and atheists are all
equal,” and that even if these were not Badawi’s own
opinions but “an account of the words of others, this is
not allowed unless accompanied by a repudiation” of such
words.
Badawi has been held in Jeddah’s Buraiman prison since his arrest
in June of last year. A recommended charge of apostasy, which
carries the death penalty, was dropped only after Badawi assured
the court that he is a Muslim.
“This incredibly harsh sentence for a peaceful blogger makes a
mockery of Saudi Arabia’s claims that it supports reform and
religious dialogue,” deputy Middle East director at Human
Rights Watch said.
“A man who wanted to discuss religion has already been locked
up for a year and now faces 600 lashes and seven years in
prison,” Nadim Houry noted.
Badawi’s lawyer, Waleed Abu al-Khair, told US-based rights group
that the blogger was sentenced to five years in prison for
insulting Islam, as well as violating provisions of Saudi
Arabia’s 2007 anti-cybercrime law. The judge added two more years
to Badawi’s term for insulting Saudi Arabia’s religious police,
the Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice,
in his TV interviews and on social media sites. His website was
subsequently shut down.
During a hearing at the Jeddah Criminal Court in December, the
judge prevented Badawi’s lawyer from representing his client.
Judge Muhammad al-Marsoom warned Badawi that he could face the
death penalty if he did not “repent to God” and give up his
liberal beliefs. After Badawi refused, the judge recommended a
trial for apostasy and referred the case to the Jeddah Public
Court, which tries more serious crimes. However, in January the
Public Court refused to hear the case. Eventually judicial
authorities transferred it back to the Criminal Court.
Badawi’s conflict with the Saudi authorities started in 2008 when
he was charged with “setting up an electronic site that insults
Islam”. The blogger then left the country and came back only when
prosecutors dropped the charges. The activist told Human Rights
Watch that in 2009 he was barred from traveling abroad and his
business interests were frozen, depriving him of a source of
income. Fearing repercussions, his wife and children moved
overseas in 2012.
Although King Abdullah has pushed for reforms to the legal
system, Saudi lawyers say that in reality conservatives in the
judiciary system have resisted implementing the changes.
“King Abdullah has received praise for fostering dialogue and
an exchange of ideas between religions, but it appears that Saudi
authorities’ tolerance for open discussion stops at Saudi
borders,” Houry said.