Samar Badawi wishes to express to all of you profound thanks for your support of her husband's petition for release. In addition, we are thankful for Senator Patrick Leahy whose office issued a strongly worded statement of support for Waleed's case and can be read here: http://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/statement-of-senator-patrick-leahy_saudi-arabias-crackdown-on-human-rights-defenders Your combined efforts have led to three times the number of signatures that we were hoping to get so now we would like to reach a new goal of 500. In furtherance of this goal, we are so honored that noted professor, writer and human rights activist Dr. Elham Manea has taken the time to pen the below statement on the plight of Waleed and many other lawyers like him. Dr. Manea is an associate professor specializing on the geopolitical state of affairs in the Middle East. She has published academic and non fiction books in English, German, and Arabic in addition to two novels in Arabic. Her latest book is entitled The Arab State and Women’s Rights: The Trap of Authoritarian Governance, London: Routledge Studies in Middle Eastern Politics, June 2011. She works at the Political Science Institute at the University of Zurich and is a consultant for Swiss government agencies and international human rights organizations. She has been appointed by the Swiss Federal Council as a Member of the Federal Commission for Women Affairs- a position that she still holds. She is working on a forthcoming book on Islamic Law in the West. From Dr. Manea: "Waleed Abu al-Khair belongs to a fine caliber of human rights lawyers in the Arab Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. He is the founder and director of the watchdog group Monitor of Human Rights in Saudi Arabia. These lawyers share a strong belief in the necessity of political reform and respect for human rights and they are willing to pay the price for their belief, risking their lives and safety in the process. "Abu al-Khair has been harassed, threatened and intimidated – sadly a common treatment for those who defend human rights, freedom of expression, and political reforms. In fact, according to the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information many Saudi citizens, including lawyers, who have expressed concerns and demanded legal reform have been subjected to arbitrary arrests, detention without a trial, and sham trials." *** Dr. Manea's words perfectly capture the importance of this case and why we ask you to please sign and share with others the Petition calling on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to free Waleed Abu al-Khair. He and others like him are lawyers of the highest integrity advocating for the basic rights of others. Thank you again for your support.