A message of thanks to you from the wife of Raif Badawi

Dear Tracy,

Please watch a very short message of thanks from Ensaf and read her words below. You can only imagine just how much she needs you and is grateful that you have spoken up for her husband.
It was a special moment to walk to the doors of the Saudi Arabian embassy with Ensaf Haider, the wife of Raif Badawi, and deliver 150,000 signatures of Canadians like you.  

Thank you for helping us stand behind Ensaf!

The Saudi Arabian authorities have not carried out Raif's weekly lashes for four weeks in a row, and this week the European Parliament adopted a very strong resolution with clear calls to free Raif and other prisoners of conscience in Saudi Arabia.

But Raif is still in his cell - and the public flogging could resume again tomorrow after Friday prayers.

Let's make sure our call is heard as far and wide as possible - please share the petition on facebook and twitter and by email. www.amnesty.ca/badawi



(Use these buttons to easily post messages to your friends and followers and urge them to help Raif.)

Sincerely,



Alex Neve, Amnesty International Canada

A message from Ensaf  

Every day, I am faced with a series of agonizing questions:

When will my husband return to me, and in what condition? How will I react? Should I hug him, kiss him? Or should I cry?

My husband, Raif Badawi, is a man of principle. He is a respected rights activist and is well-known for standing up for his beliefs in Saudi Arabia, our home country. In 2008, he started the Saudi Arabian Liberals website as a forum for political and social debate.

But two years ago, the Saudi Arabian authorities jailed Raif. They accused him of insulting Islam in the articles that he wrote and published and said he violated the Kingdom's deeply flawed information technology laws.

He was sentenced to six years in prison and 600 lashes. I haven't seen him. I fear for him.

Please call on the Saudi Arabian authorities to free Raif.

Last year, Raif appealed his original conviction. When a friend called from Saudi Arabia to tell me that the judge had instead increased his sentence to 10 years in prison and 1,000 lashes, I burst into tears.

My husband is no criminal. Raif is a prisoner of conscience, jailed for exercising his right to freedom of expression.

Help me fight for Raif's release.

I am shocked and devastated in thinking of my husband, alone and without his family. Each day, it is torture to answer questions from my three children about where their father is.

However, I am also thankful to Raif for teaching me to hang on, to be resilient and to continue fighting for his release. He promised me that he would return to fill our lives with joy and love.

I will always continue the fight.

Please stand with me.

In hope,

Ensaf Haider
Wife of imprisoned Saudi Arabian activist Raif Badawi