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A cane slammed against Raif Badawi for the fiftieth and final time of the day while a lively crowd cheered, “Allahu Akbar”(God is greatest). 31-year-old Badawi’s shackled, motionless body mirrored his expressionless face as he restrained from exhibiting pain. Five months later, Saudi Arabia’s supreme court confirmed Badawi’s punishment for insulting Muslim religious figures and disobeying Saudi Arabia’s technology laws.
Badawi’s wife, Ensaf Haidar, described the Supreme Court’s decision as, “irrevocable.” Now, a reduced sentence relies on a pardon from King Salman bin Abdulaziz, who shows no indication of forgiving the internationally supported blogger. The Supreme Court’s decision to uphold Bedawi’s sentence initiated continuation of previously postponed weekly beatings. The blogger’s lawful penalty includes 1,000 lashes, inflicted over the course of 20 sessions and comprised of 50 lashes each. The first beating, which lasted roughly fifteen minutes, resulted in a five-month postponement of future punishments on medical grounds. In total, Bedawi will endure a total of five hours of lashes, risking potentially dire medical consequences, merely for sharing his thoughts online.
Former US state department spokeswoman, Jen Psaki, deemed the punishment “inhumane” and confirmed that, “the United States Government calls on Saudi authorities to cancel this brutal punishment and to review Badawi’s case and sentence.” The State Department’s stance exhibits international disapproval of Saudi Arabia’s court’s decision. In addition to physical abuse, Badawi’s sentence includes a 10-year prison sentence, followed by a 10-year traveling ban, and a fine of one million rivals (about $267,000).
Badawi’s punishment serves as an example to fellow Saudi Arabians. More than 50 percent of Saudi Arabia’s population is under 35, which helps explain the region’s active social media participation. The country accounts for 40 percent of Twitter users in the Arab region, 93 percent of the country’s Internet users use Facebook and 96 percent watch YouTube videos. The state’s large young population greatly explains mass online participation, but Saudi Arabian policies create incentive for widespread social media participation.
Traditional media is heavily controlled in Saudi Arabia, yet social media offers citizens a perceived opportunity to freely express themselves. Badawi’s harsh punishment for his online behavior contradicts this perceived opportunity and serves as a scare tactic aimed at fellow Saudi Arabians. The country’s unwillingness to reduce Badawi’s sentence seemingly cements their desire to use the blogger as an example for other young Saudi Arabians with an online presence.
Physical, monetary, and geographical punishment for voiced opinions, as in the case of Badawi, highlight the lack of global acknowledgement of human rights. Badawi’s sentence emerged from one of a handful of states that refused to endorse the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The blogger’s harsh punishment discourages Saudi Arabian online communication and largely exhibits the mass amount of effort still necessary to expand freedom of speech.
The views presented in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent the views of any other organization.
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One Blogger, 1000 Lashes, and the Fight for Free Speech
June 19, 2015
A cane slammed against Raif Badawi for the fiftieth and final time of the day while a lively crowd cheered, “Allahu Akbar”(God is greatest). 31-year-old Badawi’s shackled, motionless body mirrored his expressionless face as he restrained from exhibiting pain. Five months later, Saudi Arabia’s supreme court confirmed Badawi’s punishment for insulting Muslim religious figures and disobeying Saudi Arabia’s technology laws.
Badawi’s wife, Ensaf Haidar, described the Supreme Court’s decision as, “irrevocable.” Now, a reduced sentence relies on a pardon from King Salman bin Abdulaziz, who shows no indication of forgiving the internationally supported blogger. The Supreme Court’s decision to uphold Bedawi’s sentence initiated continuation of previously postponed weekly beatings. The blogger’s lawful penalty includes 1,000 lashes, inflicted over the course of 20 sessions and comprised of 50 lashes each. The first beating, which lasted roughly fifteen minutes, resulted in a five-month postponement of future punishments on medical grounds. In total, Bedawi will endure a total of five hours of lashes, risking potentially dire medical consequences, merely for sharing his thoughts online.
Former US state department spokeswoman, Jen Psaki, deemed the punishment “inhumane” and confirmed that, “the United States Government calls on Saudi authorities to cancel this brutal punishment and to review Badawi’s case and sentence.” The State Department’s stance exhibits international disapproval of Saudi Arabia’s court’s decision. In addition to physical abuse, Badawi’s sentence includes a 10-year prison sentence, followed by a 10-year traveling ban, and a fine of one million rivals (about $267,000).
Badawi’s punishment serves as an example to fellow Saudi Arabians. More than 50 percent of Saudi Arabia’s population is under 35, which helps explain the region’s active social media participation. The country accounts for 40 percent of Twitter users in the Arab region, 93 percent of the country’s Internet users use Facebook and 96 percent watch YouTube videos. The state’s large young population greatly explains mass online participation, but Saudi Arabian policies create incentive for widespread social media participation.
Traditional media is heavily controlled in Saudi Arabia, yet social media offers citizens a perceived opportunity to freely express themselves. Badawi’s harsh punishment for his online behavior contradicts this perceived opportunity and serves as a scare tactic aimed at fellow Saudi Arabians. The country’s unwillingness to reduce Badawi’s sentence seemingly cements their desire to use the blogger as an example for other young Saudi Arabians with an online presence.
Physical, monetary, and geographical punishment for voiced opinions, as in the case of Badawi, highlight the lack of global acknowledgement of human rights. Badawi’s sentence emerged from one of a handful of states that refused to endorse the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The blogger’s harsh punishment discourages Saudi Arabian online communication and largely exhibits the mass amount of effort still necessary to expand freedom of speech.
The views presented in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent the views of any other organization.
