On 1 September 2014 the Court of Appeal in Jeddah upheld the sentence of human rights defender Raif Badawi. He was sentenced on 7 May 2014 to 10 years in prison, 1000 lashes and a 10 year travel ban to start on expiration of his jail sentence, a ban on using media outlets and a fine of one million Saudi Riyals (about US$266,600).

Raef Badawi is co-founder and editor of the website Liberal Saudi Network, a website and on-line forum created to foster political and social debate in Saudi Arabia. He has been detained since 17 June 2012 in a prison in Briman in Jeddah. His sentence stemmed from the creation of the website and his calls for reforms in the Kingdom.

On 29 July 2013, he was sentenced by the District Court in Jeddah to 7 years and 3 months imprisonment, 600 lashes and the shutting down of the website. On 12 December 2013, the Court of Appeals accepted an appeal of the sentence and sent back the case to the District Court in Jeddah. On 7 May 2014, the District Court in Jeddah, instead of releasing Raef Badawi, imposed a tougher new sentence on him. (For further information see previous GCHR appeals: http://gc4hr.org/news/view/464 and http://gc4hr.org/news/view/652) .

The Court has now set out that Raif Badawi should receive the lashes in public outside Al-Jafali mosque. It ordered that there should be no more than 50 lashes per session, with a break of no less than a week between sessions. It is feared that the sentence and first of the lashes will be imposed any day.

The Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR) expresses serious concern at the upholding of the sentence against Raif Badawi, as it is solely related to his legitimate human rights activities. This action by the Court of Appeal is particularly concerning in light of the fact that Saudi Arabia is a member of the UN Human Rights Council as it is a clear attempt to punish and hinder the peaceful work of human rights defenders in Saudi Arabia.

The GCHR urges the authorities in Saudi Arabia to:

1. Immediately and unconditionally release human rights defender Raef Badawi;

2. Guarantee the physical and psychological integrity and security of Raef Badawi;

3. Guarantee in all circumstances that human rights defenders in KSA are able to carry out their legitimate human rights activities without fear of reprisals and free of all restrictions including judicial harassment.

The GCHR respectfully reminds you that the United Nations Declaration on the Right and Responsibility of Individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognized Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, adopted by consensus by the UN General Assembly on 9 December 1998, recognises the legitimacy of the activities of human rights defenders, their right to freedom of association and to carry out their activities without fear of reprisals. We would particularly draw your attention to Article 6 (c) which states that: “Everyone has the right, individually and in association with others: (c) To study, discuss, form and hold opinions on the observance, both in law and in practice, of all human rights and fundamental freedoms and, through these and other appropriate means, to draw public attention to those matters” and to Article 12.2, which provides that “the State shall take all necessary measures to ensure the protection by the competent authorities of everyone, individually and in association with others, against any violence, threats, retaliation, de facto or de jure adverse discrimination, pressure or any other arbitrary action as a consequence of his or her legitimate exercise of the rights referred to in the present Declaration.”