Pakistani Christian Asia Bibi flees country after blasphemy saga

Yahoo – AFP, Gohar ABBAS, with Michel Comte in Ottawa, May 8, 2019

Hardline Islamists have held massive violent protests calling for Asia Bibi
to be executed (AFP Photo/ARIF ALI)

Asia Bibi, a Christian Pakistani woman at the centre of a decade-long blasphemy row that sparked violent unrest and spotlighted religious extremism, left her home country on Wednesday and is believed to be in Canada.

Islamabad made no formal statement and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau refused to confirm her arrival, citing privacy and security issues.

Bibi's lawyer Saif ul Mulook and multiple security sources in Pakistan speaking on condition of anonymity told AFP that Bibi had gone to Canada, with another government source adding she had left "of her own free will".

A labourer from central Punjab province and minority Christian, Bibi was convicted of blasphemy in 2010 and sent to death row, but acquitted on appeal last year.

Her case swiftly became the most infamous in Pakistan, drawing worldwide attention to religious extremism in the country and raising eyebrows among Pakistan's allies.

"The United States welcomes the news that Asia Bibi has safely reunited with her family," US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement.

"The United States uniformly opposes blasphemy laws anywhere in the world, as they jeopardize the exercise of fundamental freedoms."

Speaking on the floor of the House of Commons on Wednesday, British Prime Minister Theresa May appeared to confirm that Canada was Bibi's destination.

"Canada made this offer and we thought it was right and appropriate that we supported the offer that Canada had made," May said.

Blasphemy carries a maximum death penalty under Pakistan's penal code.

Activists have warned that Asia Bibi's life would be in danger if she 

stayed in Pakistan (AFP Photo/AAMIR QURESHI)

It is an incendiary issue in the Muslim-majority country, and mere allegations of insulting Islam have sparked lynchings and vigilante violence in the past.

"It is a great relief that this shameful ordeal has finally come to an end and Asia Bibi and her family are safe," said Omar Waraich, deputy South Asia director at Amnesty International.

"She should never have been imprisoned in the first place, let alone endure the constant threats to her life. This case horrifyingly illustrates the dangers of Pakistan's blasphemy laws and the urgent need to repeal them."

Violent protests

Bibi has technically been free to leave Pakistan since January, when the Supreme Court dismissed a legal challenge to her October acquittal.

Since then, she is widely believed to have been held in protective custody by authorities as she awaited an asylum deal abroad.

In November, Trudeau said Ottawa was holding talks with Pakistan about bringing her to Canada, which he said is "a welcoming country".

Many blasphemy cases in Pakistan see Muslims accusing Muslims, but rights activists have warned that religious minorities -- particularly Christians -- are often caught in the crossfire, with such accusations used to settle personal scores.

Two politicians have been assassinated in connection with Bibi's case, and she spent much of her prison time in solitary confinement over fears she could be attacked by a guard or another prisoner.

Islamist groups have regularly called for her to be executed, and activists have warned that she would not be safe in Pakistan.

Following Bibi's acquittal in October, the country was gripped for days by violent protests led by the hardline group Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan (TLP), which called for mutiny in the armed forces and assassination of the country's top judges for acquitting her.

In the wake of the nationwide protests, TLP's leaders -- who paralysed the capital Islamabad for weeks in 2017 with an anti-blasphemy sit-in -- were rounded up in a government crackdown months ago and remain in detention.

Christians -- who make up around two percent of the population -- occupy one of the lowest rungs in class-obsessed Pakistani society, largely living in slums and working menial jobs as street sweepers, cleaners and cooks.

Saudi woman held at Bangkok airport says fears death if repatriated

Yahoo – AFP, 6 January 2019

Rahaf told AFP she was stopped by Saudi and Kuwaiti officials when she
arrived in Suvarnabhumi airport

A Saudi woman held at Bangkok airport said she would be killed if she was repatriated by Thai immigration officials, who confirmed the 18-year-old was denied entry to the country Sunday.

Rahaf Mohammed M Alqunun told AFP she was stopped by Saudi and Kuwaiti officials when she arrived in Suvarnabhumi airport and her travel document was forcibly taken from her, a claim backed by Human Rights Watch.

"They took my passport," she told AFP, adding that her male guardian had reported her for traveling "without his permission".

Rahaf said she was trying to flee her family, who subjected her to physical and psychological abuse.

"My family is strict and locked me in a room for six months just for cutting my hair," she said, adding that she is certain she will be imprisoned if she is sent back.

"I'm sure 100 percent they will kill me as soon as I get out of the Saudi jail," she said, adding that she was "scared" and "losing hope".

Rahaf was stopped from entering Thailand when she flew in from Kuwait on Sunday, Thailand's immigration chief Surachate Hakparn told AFP.

"She had no further documents such as return ticket or money," he said, adding that Rahaf was currently in an airport hotel.

"She ran away from her family to avoid marriage and she is concerned she may be in trouble returning to Saudi Arabia. We sent officials to take care of her now," he said.

He added that Thai authorities had contacted the "Saudi Arabia embassy to coordinate".

But Rahaf disputed his account, saying that she was in transit to seek asylum in Australia, where she claimed to have a visa, and was accosted by Saudi and Kuwaiti embassy representatives when she deplaned in Suvarnabhumi airport.

Human Rights Watch Asia deputy director Phil Robertson decried the actions of the Thai authorities.

"What country allows diplomats to wander around the closed section of the airport and seize the passports of the passengers?" he said, adding that there is "impunity" within the family unit in Saudi Arabia to abuse women.

Immigration head Surachate said Rahaf would be sent back to Saudi Arabia by Monday morning.

"It's a family problem," he said of the case.

Another Saudi woman, Dina Ali Lasloom, was stopped in transit in the Philippines in April 2017 when she attempted to flee her family.

An airline security official told activists that Lasloom was heard "screaming and begging for help" as men carried her "with duct tape on her mouth, feet and hands" at the airport.

The Saudi embassy in Thailand and officials in Riyadh could not be reached for immediate comment.

#UPDATE A young Saudi woman who caused an international sensation as she sought asylum abroad while in Bangkok arrived in Toronto Saturday where she was welcomed with open arms https://t.co/1sL4emOLmJ #RahafMohammed pic.twitter.com/oSu0JYXCDL

— AFP news agency (@AFP) January 12, 2019

#UPDATE 18-year-old Saudi woman who fled family seeking asylum in Australia will fly to Canada late Friday, head of Thai immigration police says, in a surprise twist to a saga partly played out over Twitter https://t.co/Hr8l97FhhD #RahafMohammed

— AFP news agency (@AFP) January 11, 2019

#UPDATE Saudi woman Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun who made a desperate plea for asylum after landing at Bangkok airport has been placed "under the care" of the United Nations refugee agency, a Thai official says https://t.co/ECCEvCkVvr #RahafMohammedalQunun

— AFP news agency (@AFP) January 7, 2019

AFP factfile on what we know so far about the 18-year-old Saudi woman Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun, who was detained at Suvarnabhumi airport in Bangkok after running away from her family. She is now being helped by the UNHCR pic.twitter.com/SfU7JXZPlh

— AFP news agency (@AFP) January 8, 2019

A military junta has ruled Thailand since 2014, and with rumors that an election could be delayed again, protesters say enough is enoughhttps://t.co/z51Yalkuyw pic.twitter.com/tAJ2Ww6dUA

— AFP news agency (@AFP) January 6, 2019

Canada 'seriously concerned' after Saudis order ambassador's expulsion

Yahoo - AFP, August 6, 2018

Saudi activist Samar Badawi (C) with Hillary Clinton (R), then US Secretary of State,
and Michelle Obama in Washington, DC on March 8, 2012 (AFP Photo/Jewel SAMAD)

Ottawa (AFP) - Canada said Monday it is "seriously concerned" after Saudi Arabia announced it is expelling Ottawa's ambassador and recalling its own envoy in protest over "interference" in its internal affairs.

The shock Saudi move, announced by the foreign ministry on Twitter, came in response to Ottawa's vigorous demands that jailed human rights activists be released.

"We are seriously concerned by these media reports and are seeking greater clarity on the recent statement from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia," said Marie-Pier Baril, a Canadian foreign ministry spokeswoman.

"Canada will always stand up for the protection of human rights, very much including women's rights, and freedom of expression around the world. Our government will never hesitate to promote these values and believes that this dialogue is critical to international diplomacy."

The kingdom earlier said it had declared Canadian Ambassador Denis Horak persona non grata and given him 24 hours to leave the country, and that it was recalling its ambassador from Ottawa for consultations.

The ministry also announced "the freezing of all new trade and investment transactions with Canada while retaining its right to take further action."

"The Canadian position is an overt and blatant interference in the internal affairs of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia," the Saudi foreign ministry tweeted.

Canada last week said it was "gravely concerned" over a new wave of arrests of women and human rights campaigners in the kingdom, including award-winning gender rights activist Samar Badawi.

"We urge the Saudi authorities to immediately release them and all other peaceful #humanrights activists," the foreign ministry tweeted on Friday.

Malala Yousafzai becomes honorary Canadian citizen

Yahoo – AFP, Michel COMTE, April 12, 2017

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau showed Nobel Peace laureate Malala
Yousafzai where to sign in a guest book on Parliament Hill before she received
an honorary Canadian citizenship (AFP Photo/Lars Hagberg)

Ottawa (AFP) - Nobel Peace laureate Malala Yousafzai became only the sixth person to receive honorary Canadian citizenship Wednesday, before advocating in a speech to parliament for women and girls' education -- a cause dear to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Wearing an orange hijab, the traditional Muslim veil, and a green dress, the young woman was welcomed to the seat of Canada's democracy in Ottawa by Trudeau.

At age 19, Yousafzai is the youngest person to speak to Canadian members of parliament and senators in a joint session.

She is also the youngest to receive honorary Canadian citizenship -- a privilege previously granted to Nelson Mandela, the Dalai Lama (Tenzin Gyatso), religious leader Karim Aga Khan IV, Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg (posthumously) and Burmese leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Yousafzai had fought for years for the right of girls to education in her strictly Muslim home region in Pakistan.

She leaped to global fame after a Taliban gunman shot her in the head on a school bus in October 2012 for defending her right to attend school.

She has lived in the English city of Birmingham, where she continues to advocate for women's rights, since a successful operation following the attack.

During a ceremony inside the Gothic Revival halls of Canada's parliament, Trudeau praised Yousafzai for her advocacy.

"Today we proudly bestow honorary Canadian citizenship on Malala Yousafzai, a young woman from Pakistan who has done tremendous things for the people of her country and for the children of the world," he said.

"Malala, your story is an inspiration to us all," he said.

Malala Yousafzai signs a guest book at Parliament Hill in Ottawa 

(AFP Photo/Lars Hagberg)

'I Am Malala' added

Yousafzai was given the Canadian flag from atop the Peace Tower at the entrance of parliament, and a copy of her 2013 book "I Am Malala" was added to the parliamentary library.

She thanked her hosts and expressed excitement in particular about meeting Trudeau, whom she praised for speaking out for women's rights, gender equality, and refugees "during a time where the world is hopeless."

"I wanted to say that Trudeau is an amazing person and an inspiration," she said. "He is a true example and I'm sure that other world leaders will learn from him."

Yousafzai had been invited to Canada by the previous Conservative government in 2014 -- when she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize -- to receive Canadian citizenship in Toronto.

But the ceremony was postponed due to the shooting of a ceremonial guard and an attack on parliament the same day.

Earlier Wednesday, Yousafzai joined the prime minister's wife Sophie Gregoire-Trudeau for a talk with students at a local high school.

"The message I am spreading around the world to our leaders, to our politicians, (is) that they must prioritize education for each and every child around the world," she said to a standing ovation.

"There are more than 130 million girls that do not have access to education," she said.

"I am here to speak on their behalf and to say if you are living in this modern world where we see improvements in technology, we should not be seeing children out of school."

Related Articles:

Why Malala deserves the Nobel Peace Prize
Mexico to give equality prize to Pakistan's Malala

Pakistan's Malala Yousafzai receives EU Sakharov rights prize

Malala Yousafzai: God has given me a second life

The brave girl who had to face armed assassins because she stood up for her right to educate herself

Aisha North, Feb 8, 2013

The manuscript of survival – part 265 - (Constant Companions channeled through Aisha North)

Aisha North

As you have noticed, there are many stirrings in the undercurrent now, and some of the light is already starting to penetrate the fog that has enveloped mankind for such a long time. At the moment, this will seem to be mere pinpricks of light in a huge ocean of darkness, but do not let that fool you. As we have talked about so many times, this layer of darkness that still seems to cover most of your planet is only an illusion, a thin film of confusion covering up the new reality. And now, this reality will start to become more and more visible. Not only to you, but also to others out there, people who look upon themselves as no more than an ordinary citizen, but who will soon start to realize that they too have the power to change not only their own life, but also the lives of so many others.

And they will do so in a peaceful way, for we do not speak of a violent upsurging, far from it. For have you not witnessed already how the power and might of an armed scoundrel is not match for the power of the light? We refer of course to the story of the brave girl who had to face armed assassins because she stood up for her right to educate herself (From Aisha: I think they refer to the story of Malala Yousafzai). If you look closely at her story, you will see how the light penetrating her has been seeping into thousands, if not millions of others already. So she is indeed a shining example on how one of these pinpricks of light can blow away a huge area of fog and darkness, and how the forces of ill intent are no match for the light, for those bullets being aimed at her did not kill the light, it only made it that much stronger.

So let that be a lesson to you all on how nothing and no one can stop the light, no matter how hard they try. For the force of anger and hatred is not match for the love and compassion that is starting to grow on your planet now. And even if these forces of the old are trying their hardest to instill the old fear into you all, they will not succeed, no matter how many weapons they fire off, or how many people they beat to a pulp. For they cannot beat you now dear ones, you are the ones who have won this battle for the souls.

For in your soul, the light is growing stronger and stronger, and with it, the power you carry. And through your example, just like the girl who took the bullets in order to let the light shine out to the whole world, the change will come, step by step, person to person. For you are also brave, and even if you will never have to face the same hardships as this girl, you too will have to conquer the world with your actions. For you are indeed the bravest of the brave, and you have walked through fire to get where you are today. And doing that, you have liberated not only yourself, but thousands upon thousands of your fellow men and women. For you have hacked a trail trough that dense jungle of fear and darkness, and following in your footsteps are the rest of humanity. With a few exceptions of course, and they will clamor and cry as loud as they can in order to make you all believe that they still outnumber you. But they do not, and that is what you will all see as the days keep getting lighter and lighter, and those pinpricks of lights grow ever brighter and ever bigger.

So fear not, as fear has been diminished to such a state it is but a shadow of itself. That shadow is still touching the hearts of many around you, but that shadow is also thinning out, and it will be replaced by light in even the sturdiest of hearts. For light has no boundaries, only the fear has that now, so light is spreading out faster and faster, and the courage it inspires in you all is growing with it. So stand tall and proud, and know that you too has been a part of that journey from the darkest abyss and to this, the threshold of everlasting light. And know too that your actions will never go unnoticed, as you have all been instrumental in this about turn of the human race. So look around, and we think you will find these shining examples starting to emerge in every corner of your world, even in the places where you least expect them to. For, as we said, the light has no boundaries, certainly not one set by any human, and no line on the map or no wall, no matter how high it is, can keep it out. So again we say rejoice, for the morning has broken, and the day is about to start. And this day is one that will last forever.

Canada to apply to join China-backed infrastructure bank

Yahoo – AFP, Fran Wang, August 31, 2016

Canada's Finance Minister Bill Morneau announced Ottawa's decision to join  the
China-backed Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) (AFP Photo/Chris Wattie)

Beijing (AFP) - Canada will apply to join the China-backed Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), Ottawa's finance department said Wednesday, in a coup for Beijing after Washington had tried to dissuade US allies from signing up.

"Canada is always looking for ways to create hope and opportunity for our middle class as well as for people around the world," Finance Minister Bill Morneau said in a statement issued in Beijing.

"Membership in the AIIB is an opportunity to do just that."

Jin Liqun, the first president of the 

Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank 

(AIIB) welcomed Canada's decision join

 the China-backed multilateral lender

(AFP Photo/Fred Dufour)

The Beijing-headquartered multilateral lender, which began operations earlier this year, has been seen by some as a rival to the World Bank and the Philippines-based Asian Development Bank, which was founded in 1966.

The $100 billion AIIB counts several major European countries among its shareholders after they joined up despite the objections of the United States, which remains by far the world's largest economy and hosts both the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.

Critics feared the new bank would set much lower standards for projects and undermine principles of social, environmental and economic sustainability adhered to by the World Bank and other multilateral development finance institutions.

AIIB president Jin Liqun welcomed Canada's decision, which he called "a vote of confidence" in the institution that showed Ottawa's "confidence in the strong foundations the bank has built in our first few months".

The US and Japan -- the world's third-largest economy -- have notably declined to join the AIIB.

But Jin said that Washington now had a "very positive" opinion on the bank".

China "does not regard itself as the big boss" in the lender, he added, and its shareholding would "definitely be diluted" as more members joined, which could ultimately lead to Beijing losing the de facto veto power it holds over some of its decisions.

'Best interest'

In a speech Morneau suggested Canada was seeking to strike a balance between its close ally and neighbour the US, and the growing Asian giant.

China is Canada's second-largest trading partner after the United States, with exchanges topping Can$85 billion ($66.5 billion) last year.

"We have important relationships with the world's most powerful nations and have developed a capacity for mutual accommodation and governance," Morneau said.

"Should we become the first North American member of the AIIB, I have every confidence that we bring constructive and balanced views to the table."

The Beijing-based Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has been seen 

by some as a rival to the World Bank and the Philippines-based Asian Development 

Bank (AFP Photo/Fred Dufour)

Joining the China-backed lender would create jobs and business opportunities for Canadians, he said, adding: "Participation in the bank is clearly in Canada's best interest."

Canada's announcement came during Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's visit to China, where he met Prime Minister Li Keqiang to try to strengthen ties before the G20 summit this weekend in Hangzhou.

The relationship has been strained recently by Chinese plans to impose new rules on canola imports, which could risk Can$2 billion a year of Canadian oilseed sales to the Asian giant.

They were due to come into force on Thursday, but Premier Li said Wednesday that the existing rules would continue to apply while the two countries negotiate a long-term agreement.

In June China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi berated a Canadian journalist while visiting Ottawa for questioning Beijing's human rights record, saying her question was "full of prejudice and arrogance" and that she had "no right to speak".

The incident provoked a public outcry and led Canada to lodge a formal complaint with Beijing.

The 2014 detention on espionage charges of Canadian citizen Kevin Garratt, who had run a Christian-themed coffee shop near the North Korean border, has also raised tensions.

At the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Wednesday, Trudeau said he had "highlighted" Garratt's case in meetings with Chinese leaders but stressed that the goal of the visit was to establish a "strong, stable relationship and ongoing dialogue" with China.

Premier Li said judicial authorities would handle Garratt's case "in strict accordance with the law" and that his right to consular visits would be upheld.

He added it was essential for the two countries to "remove disturbances" and focus on the "overall interest" of Sino-Canadian relations.

Yudhoyono to Joko: Don’t Force Indonesia to Enter TPP

Jakarta Globe, Hayat Indriyatno, October 31, 2015

Yudhoyono, whose foreign policy mantra was 'A thousand friends, zero enemies,'
has cautioned Joko to look at the geopolitical consequences of signing up to the
 TPP, which conspicuously leaves out China but includes US ally Japan.
(Antara Photo/Prasetyo Utomo)

Jakarta. Former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has cautioned his successor against signing up to the Trans-Pacific Partnership, insisting the justifications he gave for refusing to join the trade pact while in office are still valid today.

In a series of tweets sent on Friday, Yudhoyono said President Joko Widodo had every right to commit Indonesia to the US-initiated pact, but warned that “If Indonesia is not ready and is forced to enter the TPP, then our nation will suffer. Such is the ‘law of globalization.’”

The essence of the TPP, he wrote, “is trade and investment liberalization.”

“The TPP is actually a good thing, if all the member states are ready, their interests are accommodated and there are real benefits all parties,” he said.

“But if we’re not ready for it, our market will be flooded with goods and services from other countries, while our exports will fail to be competitive abroad.”

Yudhoyono said his reasons for refusing to sign up to the TPP when he was in office included the fact that Indonesia was preparing for a similar agreement on a Southeast Asian scale: the Asean Economic Community, which comes into force at the end of this year.

He added that Indonesia also needed time to see the benefits from another trade pact, the Asean-China Free Trade Agreement, which saw Jakarta’s trade deficit with China doubling within a year of coming into full force in 2010.

Yudhoyono also pointed out that the three other Asean countries that had signed up to the TPP – Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam – had fundamentally different economic models from Indonesia. “The economies of Singapore, Malaysia and Vietnam […] are ‘export-oriented.’ Indonesia is not. We have a large domestic market,” he tweeted.

He said that in order to protect its interests, Indonesia would have to be “tough” in its negotiations – but that the current TPP members had concluded their negotiations on Oct. 5.

Yudhoyono, whose foreign policy mantra was “A thousand friends, zero enemies,” also cautioned Joko to look at the geopolitical consequences of signing up to the TPP, which conspicuously leaves out China but includes US ally Japan.

“Let us ensure that we remain friendly with all our partners, including America, China and Japan,” he wrote. “Let us maintain a free and active foreign policy […] an all-directions foreign policy. Avoid allying with one country and distancing others.

“Let us also ensure that, whichever side we partner with, Indonesia’s national interests will be prioritized above all else.”

He then called on the Indonesian people to help Joko reach an “appropriate and clear decision for the interests of the people and the nation.”

Pastikan Indonesia mendapatkan keuntungan nyata ~ dlm pertumbuhan ekonomi, lapangan kerja & pengurangan kemiskinan. *SBY*

— S. B. Yudhoyono (@SBYudhoyono) October 30, 2015

Joko’s announcement, following a visit to the White House on Monday, that he was committed to signing Indonesia to the TPP has met with concern from the business community and the political establishment alike.

Yudhoyono’s own statements follow his Democratic Party’s warning that Indonesia is not yet ready to face the competition that joining the pact would entail, citing inadequate infrastructure and low public awareness about the TPP and its costs and benefits.

“Are Indonesians and the national economy really ready for this?” asked Edhie Baskoro Yudhoyono, the former president’s son and a senior member of the Democratic Party.

“How about our domestic infrastructure? Has the government asked for the public’s opinion, especially those involved in the national economy, about the possible impact of the TPP on Indonesia in the future?”

Wrong step

The Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra), chaired by Joko’s rival in last year’s presidential election, Prabowo Subianto, has also criticized the president’s stance on the TPP.

Fadli Zon, a Gerindra deputy chairman and deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, said the TPP would only benefit Indonesia “if we had competitive businesses.”

Without adequate infrastructure and strong supporting education, welfare and legal systems, he warned, Indonesia would only be a “passive player” in the trade agreement.

“It would be a wrong step to join the TPP,” Fadli said on Wednesday.

Economist Lana Soelistianingsih of the University of Indonesia said separately that “Countries with manufacturing-based exports will be able to perform better in this partnership.”

“Our exports are mainly raw materials like oil and gas. If we can we get our commodities into a market like Chile” – which has signed up to the TPP – “can we compete with Brazil, which is much closer to Chile than Indonesia is? That’s the concern,” Lana said on Wednesday.

“How can we improve our manufacturing sector without electricity? It’s not that we should refrain from entering the partnership, but we need a clear blueprint on what products we want to sell, which raw materials we need to manufacture the products, and what kind of infrastructure we need,” she said.

The TPP, forged by the United States and other 11 countries around the Pacific Rim, including Australia and Canada, has a stated goal to “to promote economic growth; support the creation and retention of jobs; enhance innovation, productivity and competitiveness; raise living standards; reduce poverty in our countries; and promote transparency, good governance, and enhanced labor and environmental protections.”

In practice, the biggest impact will be the lowering of trade barriers, including tariffs.

The #TPP - a 12-nation free trade agreement pic.twitter.com/1h82wFRF68

— Agence France-Presse (@AFP) November 5, 2015

Related Article:

German frustration builds over TTIP secrecy from US

Canada opens door to jailed Saudi blogger Raif Badawi

Canada is offering to take in imprisoned Saudi blogger Raif Badawi, listing him as a priority immigrant on humanitarian grounds. Badawi is serving a 10-year jail sentence and is facing 1,000 lashes in the Gulf kingdom.

Deutsche Welle, 12 June 2015

The Canadian province of Quebec on Friday cleared the way for Raif Badawi to come to the country by offering the blogger an immigration selection certificate.

These certificates are issued "in exceptional circumstances to foreigners in need of protection," Quebec Immigration Minister Kathleen Weil said.

"His treatment is outrageous - it's cruel and unusual punishment," Weil said, in comments carried by state broadcaster CBC and others in Canada.

Courage @raif_badawi et Ensaf Haidar. Tout le Québec est avec vous! http://t.co/D3XfHAZS5v #polqc #assnat

— Kathleen Weil (@Kathleen_Weil) 12 juni 2015

The certificate could fast-track Badawi's immigration application and any steps to bring him from Saudi Arabia to Canada.

The official document will be presented to Badawi's wife, Ensaf Haider, at a ceremony next week. Haider settled in Sherbrooke, Quebec, with the couple's three children soon after fleeing Saudi Arabia in 2012. In an interview with Deutsche Welle last month, Haider said she imagined her family's future in Canada.

Badawi was imprisoned in 2012, and two years later was sentenced to a decade in jail, 1,000 lashes, and fined 1 million Saudi riyals ($266,600 / 236,730 euros) for promoting liberal ideas and criticizing Islam online. The 31-year-old received the first 50 lashes of his sentence - to be delivered in 20 weekly sessions- outside a mosque in the Red Sea city of Jeddah in January, but subsequent floggings have been postponed amid international outrage.

Last week Saudi Arabia's Supreme Court upheld the sentence, meaning the ruling is final and cannot be overturned without a pardon from the country's King Salman. Human rights groups, together with Badawi's wife Haider, have called on the Canadian government to step up efforts to secure the blogger's release.

Quebec's Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney said Friday that he was hopeful the offer to help Badawi immigrate to Canada "will allow us to break the logjam and have a happy ending to this."

No flogging for today; I repeat my appeal to his majesty King Salman to pardon my husband #RaifBadawi and stop his flogging.

— رائف بدوي (@raif_badawi) 12 juni 2015

In a statement Friday, Saudi Arabia said it would "not tolerate such outrageous, ridiculous interference in its sovereign justice system."

The comments echo a letter sent earlier in the week to members of the European Parliament, in which Saudi authorities expressed "strong displeasure and disapproval in relation to some media reports" on Badawi.

"Saudi Arabia was among the first countries to support human rights and respect international conventions which were in accordance with Sharia," the Saudi Foreign Ministry said.

Deutsche Welle awarded Badawi its inaugural Freedom of Expression Award in February.

nm/msh (AFP)

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper meets with Pope Francis at

the Vatican on 11 June 2015. Photograph: Adrian Wyld/AP

Related Article:

Pope Francis and Canada’s prime minister discuss Catholic school abuse

Saudi supreme court upholds jail, lashes for blogger

Saudi supreme court upholds jail, lashes for blogger

Yahoo – AFP, 7 June 2015

Saudi Arabia's punishment of blogger Raif Badawi -- who was sentenced to 1,000

 lashes for "insulting Islam -- has sparked international protests, such as this

rally in Paris on May 7, 2015 (AFP Photo/Stephane De Sakutin)

Dubai (AFP) - Saudi Arabia's supreme court has upheld a sentence of 10 years in jail and 1,000 lashes against blogger Raif Badawi on charges of insulting Islam, his wife said on Sunday.

The judgement came despite worldwide outrage over his case and criticism from the United Nations, United States, the European Union, Canada and others.

Ensaf Haidar -- the wife of the Raef 

Badawi -- has called on Canada and 

other countries to plead on Saudi Arabia

 to free her husband (AFP Photo/Marc

Braibant)

"This is a final decision that is irrevocable," Ensaf Haidar told AFP in a telephone interview from Canada. "This decision has shocked me."

Badawi received the first 50 of the 1,000 lashes he was sentenced to outside a mosque in the Red Sea city of Jeddah on January 9. Subsequent rounds of punishment were postponed on medical grounds.

Amnesty International slammed the "abhorrent" decision to uphold a "cruel and unjust sentence," describing it as a "dark day for freedom of expression."

"Blogging is not a crime and Raif Badawi is being punished merely for daring to exercise his right to freedom of expression,” said Philip Luther, Amnesty's Middle East and North Africa director.

Badawi's wife expressed fear that the implementation of the flogging sentence "might resume next week."

"I was optimistic that the advent of (the Muslim fasting month of) Ramadan and the arrival of a new king would bring a pardon for the prisoners of conscience, including my husband," she said.

Saudi Arabian rights activist 

Suad al-Shammari, who 

co-founded the Saudi Liberal 

Network Internet discussion

 group with detained blogging

 activist Raef Badawi (AFP

Photo)

Badawi co-founded the Saudi Liberal Network Internet discussion group.

He was arrested in June 2012 under cyber-crime provisions, and a judge ordered the website shut after it criticised Saudi Arabia's notorious religious police.

The co-founder of the online venue, Suad al-Shammari, was released from jail in February. But Badawi's lawyer, Walid Abulkhair, who is also a rights activist, remains behind bars.

Badawi and Abulkhair have been nominated for this year's Nobel Peace Prize by Norwegian member of parliament Karin Andersen.

His supporters have launched a campaign on Twitter using the hashtag #backlash that has gathered momentum, and posted pictures of people with lashes drawn on their backs with red lipstick.

Saudi Arabia in early March dismissed criticism of its flogging of Badawi and "strongly denounced the media campaign around the case".

In his first letter from prison published by the German weekly Der Spiegel in March, Badawi wrote how he "miraculously survived 50 lashes".

Badawi, 31, recalled that he was "surrounded by a cheering crowd who cried incessantly 'Allahu Akbar' (God is greatest)" during the whipping.

"All this cruel suffering happened to me because I expressed my opinion," Badawi wrote.

People demonstrate in support of Raif Badawi, who was sentenced to 1,000 

lashes for "insulting Islam, on May 7, 2015 in Paris (AFP Photo/Stephane De Sakutin)

Badawi's wife and their three children have received asylum in Quebec, in Canada.

Quebec's Immigration Minister Kathleen Weil said in March that her government would "continue its defence of Mr. Badawi," saying this was a "clear case of human rights violation."

Saudi Arabia's ambassador to Canada, Naif Bin Bandir Al-Sudairy, complained officially.

"The kingdom does not accept any form of interference in its internal affairs and rejects... the attack on the independence of its justice system," he wrote in a letter sent to authorities in Canada.

Related Article:

Britain urged to end arms trade with Saudi Arabia after blogger ruling
Sweden's foreign minister unrepentant over Saudi flogging row