Jailed blogger Raif Badawi's sister arrested, detained in same prison
The sister of jailed Saudi blogger Raif Badawi has reportedly been arrested for posting a photo of her former husband on Twitter and asking for his release from prison.
Raif Badawi's wife, Ensaf Haidar, tweeted that his sister, Samar Badawi, is believed to have been arrested Tuesday. After hours of questioning, she was moved to the Dharhan central prison, where her brother is being held, The Guardian reports. Samar Badawi's former husband, Waleed Abu al-Khair, is a human rights lawyer, and is serving a 15-year sentence, partly for defending Raif Badawi. For her work to promote women's equality in Saudi Arabia, Samar Badawi received the 2012 International Women of Courage award.
After being found guilty of insulting Islam and criticizing the regime, Raif Badawi was sentenced in 2014 to 10 years in jail and 1,000 lashes; last year, he received 50 lashes. His sentence has been condemned by leaders around the world, and his wife left Saudi Arabia for Canada, where she now lives with their three children and campaigns for his release. In a statement, Amnesty International called the detainment of Samar Badawi "the latest example of Saudi Arabia's utter contempt for its human rights obligations and provides further damning proof of the authorities' intent to suppress all signs of peaceful dissent."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Putin's sham election
Opinion Protest votes show Russian dissent still simmers
By Susan Caskie Published
-
6 inviting homes with rental units
Feature Featuring a restored Victorian home in Illinois and ocean-view windows in Nova Scotia
By The Week Staff Published
-
Keith O'Brien's 6 must-read books about significant moments in sports history
Feature The best-selling author recommends works by Laura Hillenbrand, Jonathan Eig and more
By The Week US Published
-
'Goon Squad' cops sentenced for torturing 2 Black men
Speed Read The former Mississippi law enforcement officers pleaded guilty last year
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Michigan shooter's dad guilty of manslaughter
speed read James Crumbley failed to prevent his son from killing four students at Oxford High School in 2021
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Shooting at Chiefs victory rally kills 1, injures 21
Speed Read Gunfire broke out at the Kansas City Chiefs' Super Bowl victory parade in Missouri
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Court rules Josef Fritzl can be moved to normal prison
Speed Read 'Notorious' criminal, now 88, was convicted for raping, committing incest and imprisoning his daughter
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
Post Office scandal casts new light on Robin Garbutt murder conviction
Speed Read Supporters claim faulty Horizon evidence was key to guilty verdict but victim's mother accuses former postmaster of jumping on bandwagon
By The Week UK Published
-
Uvalde parents want indictments after DOJ's scathing school shooting report
Speed Read The Justice Department's damning review of the May 2022 school shooting in Texas details 'cascading failures,' but families of the victims want justice
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Girls left 'at the mercy' of Rochdale sex abuse gangs, says 'damning' review
Speed Read Victims 'badly failed' by council and police, said Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Prague shooting: student kills 14 people at university
Speed reads Police believe suspect, who killed himself, may have shot his father before carrying out mass murder
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published