Demands for the Sakharov Prize winner Raif Badawi
and human rights lawyer Waleed Abu al-Khair -
For respect for human rights in Saudi Arabia

In 2015, the European Parliament awarded human rights activist Raif Badawi the European Parliament's Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought in absentia.
Raif Badawi received this award after he was arrested on June 17, 2012, 9 years ago. He had dared to stand up for human rights such as the freedom of expression and freedom of belief on his blog "The Saudi Liberals." In 2014, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison, a 10 year travel ban, a monetary fine and 1,000 lashes.

The execution of the fatal lashes has been suspended following international protests. But six years after being awarded the Sakharov Prize, Raif Badawi remains in prison. His wife Ensaf Haidar was able to flee into exile in Canada with their three children. They have not seen their husband and father for almost 10 years.

Raif Badawi's lawyer, Waleed Abu al-Khair, is also unjustly imprisoned. As a human rights lawyer, he has advocated for various activists in Saudi Arabia. However, for his work as Raif Badawi's lawyer, he was arrested in 2014 and sentenced to 15 years in prison, a 15-year ban on leaving the country after release, and a fine. Because of his important work for human rights, Waleed Abu al-Khair was awarded the Alternative Nobel Prize in absentia by the Stockholm-based Right Livelihood Foundation in September 2018. Like Raif Badawi, Waleed Abu al-Khair remains in prison in Saudi Arabia. His daughter Jude, whose mother Samar Badawi is also an internationally distinguished human and women's rights activist, must grow up without him.

The imprisonment of Raif Badawi and Waleed Abu al-Khair and their torture are not individual fates. They exemplify the fate of many other prisoners and the shameful human rights situation in Saudi Arabia, a member country of the G20 states.

Precisely because the Saudi kingdom's Vision 2030 envisions and implements reforms for greater civil liberties;

precisely because Vision 2030 seeks to harness Saudi Arabia's real wealth, namely the ambition of its people and the potential of the younger generation;

precisely because Raif Badawi and Waleed Abu al-Khair share this vision of a stronger and diversely developed Saudi Arabia;

precisely because their work for Vision 2030 strengthens a vibrant society;

precisely because, therefore, the release of Raif Badawi and Waleed Abu al-Khair would promote, on the one hand, the welfare of the country (Maṣlaha), the purpose of all laws in force in Saudi Arabia, and, on the other hand, Saudi Arabia's international reputation:

• We appeal to His Royal Highness of Saudi Arabia to use the right of pardon reserved to him and release Raif Badawi and Waleed Abu al-Khair from detention immediately and without conditions. Raif Badawi must be allowed to travel to his family in Canada without a ban on leaving the country or a heavy fine preventing him from doing so after his release.
• We call on the German government, and in particular Chancellor Angela Merkel, to use her position as a highly esteemed leader before the end of her term in office to call on Saudi Arabia to release Raif Badawi and Waleed Abu al-Khair immediately and without conditions. Her unconditional and personally credible commitment to the validity of international human rights and freedoms would be a strong signal and an important example for other heads of state.
• We call on the European Parliament to take action on behalf of Sakharov Prize laureate Raif Badawi and his lawyer Waleed Abu al-Khair with a joint resolution appealing to Saudi Arabia for their immediate release.
• We encourage the Canadian government to follow up on past resolutions by granting Raif Badawi Canadian citizenship so that he can join his family in Canada and also live there as a Canadian citizen under Canada's protection.