Two women were sentenced by Saudi court in Jeddah to 10 days in prison and 20 lashes each, over using bad language while arguing with each other on WhatsApp. The messages were ruled to contain ‘impermissible expressions’. The women were warned by court that they would face worse punishment if they repeat their use of bad language. The case was brought to court two…
Tag: Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia: Teen Blogger ‘Abu Sin’ Arrested for Online Flirting
Like many teens, the 19-year-old Saudi blogger ‘Abu Sin’ (‘the toothless one’) enjoys spending his time online connecting to people throughout the world. Earlier this year, the young teen whose real name had not been revealed by authorities, connected with American teen blogger Christina Crockett. Despite the language barrier, the two had numerous exchanges, including one video where Abu Sin declared his…
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One-year Anniversary of Raif Badawi’s Flogging: Jimmy Wales Joins the Vigil Calling to #FreeRaif at the Saudi Embassy in London (Gallery)

We Are Raif Coalition’s Letter to Philip Hammond on Behalf of Raif Badawi
A letter of the We Are Raif Coalition that was sent today to Philip Hammond, the UK Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs. Dear Foreign Secretary, We are writing to you on behalf of We Are Raif: a campaign for free speech and human rights in Saudi Arabia. We are extremely concerned by the statement issued by the Raif…

Raif Badawi: 1000 Lashes Because He Says What He Thinks
Who is Raif Badawi? Raif Badawi, a 31-year-old Saudi blogger, was arrested in June 2012 on a range of charges related to insulting Islam. Badawi was prosecuted for founding a website called: “Free Saudi Liberals”, which endorsed online debate about religious and political issues in Saudi Arabia. Badawi was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment and was ordered to receive 1,000 lashes, an excessive punishment which…