Friday, April 03, 2015

Saudi Arabia warns Canada to not support blogger sentenced to 1,000 lashes...

Saudi Arabia's aggressive response to international criticism of its human rights and justice system continues with a warning to Canadian politicians. According to CBC News, the Saudi ambassador to Canada, Naif Bin Bandir Al-Sudairy, sent a letter to Quebec's National Assembly telling it not to interfere in the case of blogger Raif Badawi.

In his letter, which was dated March 10, Sudairy warned that the kingdom "does not accept any form of interference in its internal affairs."

Badawi, a blogger arrested after criticizing Saudi religious authorities, had sparked global criticism of the kingdom's legal system after he was sentenced to 1,000 lashes last year. Badawi's wife, Ensaf Haidar, and her children have obtained refugee status in Quebec, and Haidar has helped to lead an international campaign to free her husband. A number of Quebec politicians had publicly denounced Badawi's sentence, and in February the National Assembly had unanimously passed a motion condemning the blogger's punishment.

Aside from the defense of sovereignty, Sudairy's letter also included a defense of the sharia law that forms the basis of the Saudi legal system. "The Kingdom does not accept at all any attack on it in the name of human rights, especially when its constitution is based on Islamic law, which guarantees human rights," the letter reads, according to CBC News. Full story...

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  4. Saudi Arabia blocks Sweden foreign minister's address at Arab League meeting...
  5. A thousand lashes and 10 years in prison for online Saudi Arabian activist...
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