Saudi blogger Raif Badawi gets 10 year jail sentence

[Morch]

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1000 lashes?

That's truly barbaric.

Actually barbarism's to colonize others, to enslave others, to plunder others, & to be racist towards others. & that's exactly what Europeans did to others. Shame on those who inflicted pain on others.

Them Europeans colonialists ought to be lashed! Now where's that whi....err, topic?

[F430murci]

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1000 lashes?

That's truly barbaric.

Actually barbarism's to colonize others, to enslave others, to plunder others, & to be racist towards others. & that's exactly what Europeans did to others. Shame on those who inflicted pain on others.

And . . . Your point is? Yes, what they did was wrong. That, however, neither excuses nor mitigates what is happening right now. So you think we should give the current scorge of the earth a free pass just because some other fools acted like scorge generations ago. Sadly, that does seem to be the mentality in certain parts of the world and with certain cultures.

Thank God I live in a wonderful country, full of opportunity, with good people, that allows us to be ourselves, speak out and, on some occasions, act like a fool without harsh or dire consequences.

[beautifulthailand99]

thailand is a beautiful place to live in with lots of lovely people living here. now Saudi....

They would like their diamonds back -please.

[deepcell]

wow, it is truly unbelievable!

[Patsycat]

I'm so glad that i am not the only person around who has a problem with spelling the word calander, callander, calendar.... Ah, that's it!!

[tubby johnson]

It's the here and now we're talking about, and by today's (civilised) standards, the actions are positively barbaric.

"the here and now" is irrelevant. Saudi Arabia is a sovereign country with its own laws. if you don't like the laws of a country stay clear. they are none of your business.

"civilised standards" are a matter of individual perception and perspective. in reality these standards do not exist.

The "here and now" is relevant, my friend. We live and breathe in the "here and now". That, in my opinion, makes it quite important!

Agreed, "civilised standards" are a matter of individual perception and perspective. But by no standards is the torture (Yes, 1000 lashes is torture ... try it and you'll understand.) and imprisonment of someone for expressing liberal opinions "civilised".

Some of us are merely expressing our disgust at primitive Saudi inhumanity and our support for Raif Badawi. If anyone here thinks that he deserves his barbaric punishment, I'm curious to hear your explanations.

[boomerangutang]

Screw them all those sharia fools who punish our lifestyles but travel abroad to enjoy it

Marcusd. Via tapatalk

please tell us how your life style was punished by sharia fools

I think what Marcusd is alluding to: The Sharia law upholders travel outside of Saudi, in order to indulge in things that would be forbidden in their cruel and stifling homeland. Whiskey, loose women, etc.

'Insulting Islam' ? Only a very insecure belief system would be so readily insulted. But who is getting insulted? You can't even have such a conversation with a Muslim. Is Allah insulted? Mohammed? Allah is a figment of imagination, and M is dead. How can a thing or a dead person be insulted?

I don't agree the word 'barbaric' is a good enough description. Pity any decent people who have to endure residing in such a mean-spirited place, lead by old men cruelly mandating an insecure belief system.

[neverdie]

1000 lashes here, 560 odd people issued death sentences after one hearing there. Women caned after sexual assault. Sewerage tipped on people. Workers accused of crimes they had nothing to do with and are left in squalid conditions for years trying to sort their ways through court systems designed to delay.

On the other Side if the world there's virtually the opposite, killers walking free after serving 3 year sentences and systems designed around offenders rights.

The entire lot is sickening to the bone.

[TVGerry]

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1000 lashes?

That's truly barbaric.

Actually barbarism's to colonize others, to enslave others, to plunder others, & to be racist towards others. & that's exactly what Europeans did to others. Shame on those who inflicted pain on others.

Tell you what, you hate the west so much, you should try staying a few years in a country where Sharia exists and see how long you last. Unless of course you're one of those hypocritcal Muslims who are all 'holy' under Sharia law but go overseas a lot and do all kinds of perverted stuff. I'm not judging! Whatever you do behind lock doors is your business. Too bad the Islamists don't care.

[simple1]

For whatever reason the person remained in KSA and reading between the lines commented on laws and the society of KSA; there is no seperation between the State & Islam so has been convicted of insulting Islam He was brave or some may say stupid knowing the repression of free speech and the consequences.

1,000 lashes during his time in detention, let alone the jail time is cruel, but sends out a very clear message by the dictatorship. Maybe at some time in the future the West will be able to sever its strategic dependence on the Saudis.

Some compare to Thailand, but we all know the outcome for commenting in the public domain on some aspects of Thai society for which you can receive a lengthy jail sentence.

[hard124get]

This country is an ally of US, UK and Israel, they all sell millions of dollars of arms to them.

[A1Str8]

So who is going to get arrested and sentenced for creating an uncivilized stupid system with full of defects that was dead on arrival?

Sent from my GT-I9500 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[chuckd]

Screw them all those sharia fools who punish our lifestyles but travel abroad to enjoy it

Marcusd. Via tapatalk

please tell us how your life style was punished by sharia fools

I think what Marcusd is alluding to: The Sharia law upholders travel outside of Saudi, in order to indulge in things that would be forbidden in their cruel and stifling homeland. Whiskey, loose women, etc.

'Insulting Islam' ? Only a very insecure belief system would be so readily insulted. But who is getting insulted? You can't even have such a conversation with a Muslim. Is Allah insulted? Mohammed? Allah is a figment of imagination, and M is dead. How can a thing or a dead person be insulted?

I don't agree the word 'barbaric' is a good enough description. Pity any decent people who have to endure residing in such a mean-spirited place, lead by old men cruelly mandating an insecure belief system.

Thanks for the pity but I do believe you will discover with a minimum amount of work that many people who lived and worked in Saudi rather enjoyed it.

I spent some 30 years there and never had a minute's problem with sharia. But then, I knew what my personal limitations were and never exceeded them.

I was smart enough not to start a blog demeaning the royal family of Saudi and if I had I would expect nothing less than what our current blogger is receiving.

He wouldn't get away with it in LOS either.

[F430murci]

Screw them all those sharia fools who punish our lifestyles but travel abroad to enjoy it

Marcusd. Via tapatalk

please tell us how your life style was punished by sharia fools

I think what Marcusd is alluding to: The Sharia law upholders travel outside of Saudi, in order to indulge in things that would be forbidden in their cruel and stifling homeland. Whiskey, loose women, etc.

'Insulting Islam' ? Only a very insecure belief system would be so readily insulted. But who is getting insulted? You can't even have such a conversation with a Muslim. Is Allah insulted? Mohammed? Allah is a figment of imagination, and M is dead. How can a thing or a dead person be insulted?

I don't agree the word 'barbaric' is a good enough description. Pity any decent people who have to endure residing in such a mean-spirited place, lead by old men cruelly mandating an insecure belief system.

Thanks for the pity but I do believe you will discover with a minimum amount of work that many people who lived and worked in Saudi rather enjoyed it.

I spent some 30 years there and never had a minute's problem with sharia. But then, I knew what my personal limitations were and never exceeded them.

I was smart enough not to start a blog demeaning the royal family of Saudi and if I had I would expect nothing less than what our current blogger is receiving.

He wouldn't get away with it in LOS either.

So what exactly did he write about the Royal family? Or did they just get confused and think his article about prohibited Valentines Day was about them?

They jailed his lawyer for setting up an organization known as Monitor of Human Rights in Saudi Arabia.

Based in below examples I would say Saudi Arabia is not such a lovely place and rather sucks.

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"On March 18, 2012, the well-known cleric Sheikh Abdulrahman al-Barrak issued a religious ruling declaring Badawi an 'unbeliever and apostate who must be tried and sentenced according to what his words require'.

"Al-Barrak claimed that Badawi had said 'that Muslims, Jews, Christians, and atheists are all equal,' and that even if these were not Badawis own opinions but 'an account of the words of others, this is not allowed unless accompanied by a repudiation' of such words."

http://m.hrw.org/news/2013/07/30/saudi-arabia-600-lashes-7-years-activist

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RE: Badawi's parental disobedience charge

Can an adult be imprisoned for disobeying his father? In Saudi Arabia, where all citizens are treated as children, the answer to that question is yes. The Saudi dictatorship doesnt trust its citizens to speak their mind, and so impose paternalistic and draconian laws to keep in check those who might think differently.

Women in particular are infantilized, and their ability to move around, unaccompanied by a male guardian, is severely restricted. Women are banned from driving. They cannot go to coffee shops or restaurants with a male friend. And according to Saudi law, a woman cannot decide for herself to go on religious pilgrimage. She must have a mans approval and be accompanied by her guardian.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/08/01/600-lashes-for-raif-badawi-saudi-arabia-s-latest-savagery.html

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seven men were convicted and sentenced to prison terms up to 10 years for writing posts on Facebook about political protests. The men were held in prison for a year and a half before they were even charged and tried.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/08/01/600-lashes-for-raif-badawi-saudi-arabia-s-latest-savagery.html

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Two prominent womens rights activists convicted and sentenced to a ten-month prison term on charges of inciting separation between a husband and a wife after they tried to help a Quebec woman escape her abusive husband and bring her to the Canadian embassy in Riyadh.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/08/01/600-lashes-for-raif-badawi-saudi-arabia-s-latest-savagery.html

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23-year-old poet and writer accused of insulting the prophet Muhammad after he tweeted three short messages on Twitter describing an imagined meeting with the prophet, has spent almost a year and a half in prison, and his fate is still uncertain.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/08/01/600-lashes-for-raif-badawi-saudi-arabia-s-latest-savagery.html

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teacher in Riyadh, was thrown in prison in 2011 after he gave an interview to the BBC, calling for democracy in Saudi Arabia. He was released last year.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/08/01/600-lashes-for-raif-badawi-saudi-arabia-s-latest-savagery.html

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Saudi religious police arrest Ethiopian workers for practicing Christianity

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/02/21/saudi-religious-police-arrest-ethiopian-workers-for-practicing-christianity/

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Saudi Arabia arrests 57 men for flirting at mall

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/23308294/ns/world_news-mideast_n_africa/t/saudi-arabia-arrests-men-flirting-mall/

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A man in Saudi Arabia has been arrested for 'exotic practices' after offering free hugs to passers-by.

Abdulrahman al-Khayyal, 21, and a friend were apprehended by the state's religious police after they were seen walking down a street in Riyadh holding a placard which read 'free hugs'.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2511475/Religious-Saudi-Arabia-police-arrest-man-exotic-practices-giving-free-hugs.html

[F430murci]

Wow, the Saudi religious police are loons. No wonder poor Badawi is sentenced to 1,000 lashes and ten years for writing articles on topics such as Valentines Day. Based on the below, I would say he got off lightly judging by Saudi religious police standards.

Are these people for real? Couldn't make this stuff up!

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Saudi Arabia's Religious Police Outlaw 'Tempting Eyes' . . . Saudi has the right to cover women's eyes 'especially the tempting ones.'

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/11/19/saudi-arabia-s-religious-police-outlaw-tempting-eyes.html

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Religious police in Saudi Arabia arrested a male hairdresser for cutting a womans hair. (Musta been a really bad hair cut).

http://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Male-hairdresser-arrested-in-Saudi-for-cutting-womans-hair-345751

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41 arrested for plotting to celebrate Christmas. (Forget those plotting to blow something up, dang glad they busted this terrorist cell.)

http://www.nationalturk.com/en/heres-islamic-tolerance-saudi-arabia-religious-police-arrest-people-celebrating-christmas-middle-east-news-31225

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Saudi Arabia's religious police department has an Anti-Witchcraft Unit to combat sorcery. Arrests are on the rise and the penalty can be as severe as death.

(Thank God the Saudi religious police are hunting down and killing all those dang witches plaguing modern society. . .)

http://news.msn.com/world/witchcraft-arrests-in-saudi-arabia-on-the-rise

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Saudi religious police to arrest anyone celebrating New Years. (Cannot leave that blasphemous New Years out . . .)

http://www.religiousfreedomcoalition.org/2013/12/30/saudi-religious-police-to-arrest-anyone-celebrating-new-years/

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And I bet they feel like real men after treating a women like this after she was raped by 7 scum bag Saudi men.

http://www.religiousfreedomcoalition.org/2013/12/30/saudi-religious-police-to-arrest-anyone-celebrating-new-years/

[chuckd]

But you have never even stepped foot on Saudi soil so you really have no idea what it is like.

You might try getting some real life experience rather than trying to become an expert on everything posted on the internet

I have a great idea for you...and a similar thing has been done before. Ramsey Clark served as defense counsel for Saddam Hussein and look how successfully that turned out.

You claim to be a lawyer so why don't you take up Badawi's case on a pro bono basis and offer your defense before the Saudi courts?

It might give you the opportunity to actually come into contact with something you find so reprehensible. Perhaps you can suggest some changes be made and have a real impact with somebody that matters.

[F430murci]

But you have never even stepped foot on Saudi soil so you really have no idea what it is like.

You might try getting some real life experience rather than trying to become an expert on everything posted on the internet

I have a great idea for you...and a similar thing has been done before. Ramsey Clark served as defense counsel for Saddam Hussein and look how successfully that turned out.

You claim to be a lawyer so why don't you take up Badawi's case on a pro bono basis and offer your defense before the Saudi courts?

It might give you the opportunity to actually come into contact with something you find so reprehensible. Perhaps you can suggest some changes be made and have a real impact with somebody that matters.

Gotta say if you like it there, you got some really low standards.

So again, what did Badawi say about the royal family and wth are you talking about with the rest of that nutty nonsense?

I suppose you think what they did to this poor women is okay? And this was only 90 lashes. How in the world is Badawi going to survive 1000.

http://www.religiousfreedomcoalition.org/2013/12/30/saudi-religious-police-to-arrest-anyone-celebrating-new-years/

Although you have idea where I have and have not been, one does not need to actually be in Saudi Arabia to see how poorly they treat people and how they violate basic human rights.

[chuckd]

But you have never even stepped foot on Saudi soil so you really have no idea what it is like.

You might try getting some real life experience rather than trying to become an expert on everything posted on the internet

I have a great idea for you...and a similar thing has been done before. Ramsey Clark served as defense counsel for Saddam Hussein and look how successfully that turned out.

You claim to be a lawyer so why don't you take up Badawi's case on a pro bono basis and offer your defense before the Saudi courts?

It might give you the opportunity to actually come into contact with something you find so reprehensible. Perhaps you can suggest some changes be made and have a real impact with somebody that matters.

Gotta say if you like it there, you got some really low standards.

So again, what did he say about the royal family and wth are you talking about with the rest of that nutty nonsense?

I suppose you think what they did to this poor women is okay? And this was only 90 lashes. How in the world is Badawi going to survive 1000.

http://www.religiousfreedomcoalition.org/2013/12/30/saudi-religious-police-to-arrest-anyone-celebrating-new-years/

Is it really so hard for you to have a conversation without getting personally offensive?

I expect my standards are higher than the average attorney, if that would satisfy you. I know my morals are.

Again, if you knew anything about Saudi Arabia, you would realize the Royal Family there IS the government. If one criticizes the government, one is being critical of the Royal Family.

So, you do not plan to provide pro bono services for Mr. Badawi?

[F430murci]

But you have never even stepped foot on Saudi soil so you really have no idea what it is like.

You might try getting some real life experience rather than trying to become an expert on everything posted on the internet

I have a great idea for you...and a similar thing has been done before. Ramsey Clark served as defense counsel for Saddam Hussein and look how successfully that turned out.

You claim to be a lawyer so why don't you take up Badawi's case on a pro bono basis and offer your defense before the Saudi courts?

It might give you the opportunity to actually come into contact with something you find so reprehensible. Perhaps you can suggest some changes be made and have a real impact with somebody that matters.

Gotta say if you like it there, you got some really low standards.

So again, what did he say about the royal family and wth are you talking about with the rest of that nutty nonsense?

I suppose you think what they did to this poor women is okay? And this was only 90 lashes. How in the world is Badawi going to survive 1000.

http://www.religiousfreedomcoalition.org/2013/12/30/saudi-religious-police-to-arrest-anyone-celebrating-new-years/

Is it really so hard for you to have a conversation without getting personally offensive?

I expect my standards are higher than the average attorney, if that would satisfy you. I know my morals are.

Again, if you knew anything about Saudi Arabia, you would realize the Royal Family there IS the government. If one criticizes the government, one is being critical of the Royal Family.

So, you do not plan to provide pro bono services for Mr. Badawi?

You said Badawi criticized the royal family. What did he say about the royal family? What did he say about the government? That they should be allowed to give out a rose on Valentines Day? That they should not beat women because they are a victim of gang rape?

So I guess your statement about Saudi Arabia being just like Thailand is not really accurate as people can take shots all day long at PM and Thailand's laws, just not anything directed at royal family.

Based on below article, looks like Badawi got caught up in something bigger than him going on in Saudi Arabia over the last year.

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Activists in Saudi Arabia describe 2013 as one of the worst years for human rights in kingdom

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates With global attention focused on upheaval elsewhere in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia quietly intensified its clampdown on dissent in 2013, silencing democracy advocates and human rights defenders with arrests, trials and intimidation in what reformists say was one of the darkest years ever for their efforts in the powerful U.S.-allied Gulf state.

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/12/25/activists-in-saudi-arabia-describe-2013-as-one-worst-years-for-human-rights-in/

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This year, at least nine prominent reformers were given lengthy jail sentences for offenses including "breaking allegiance with the king." A leading rights lawyer was forced to flee the kingdom for fear of arrest. One of the kingdom's most prominent rights organizations the Saudi Association for Civil and Political Rights, known in Arabic by its acronym HASEM was shut down. A tough anti-terror law was approved by the government, defining acts as vague as "defaming the state's reputation" as terrorism.

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/12/25/activists-in-saudi-arabia-describe-2013-as-one-worst-years-for-human-rights-in/

[F430murci]

But you have never even stepped foot on Saudi soil so you really have no idea what it is like.

You might try getting some real life experience rather than trying to become an expert on everything posted on the internet

I have a great idea for you...and a similar thing has been done before. Ramsey Clark served as defense counsel for Saddam Hussein and look how successfully that turned out.

You claim to be a lawyer so why don't you take up Badawi's case on a pro bono basis and offer your defense before the Saudi courts?

It might give you the opportunity to actually come into contact with something you find so reprehensible. Perhaps you can suggest some changes be made and have a real impact with somebody that matters.

Gotta say if you like it there, you got some really low standards.

So again, what did he say about the royal family and wth are you talking about with the rest of that nutty nonsense?

I suppose you think what they did to this poor women is okay? And this was only 90 lashes. How in the world is Badawi going to survive 1000.

http://www.religiousfreedomcoalition.org/2013/12/30/saudi-religious-police-to-arrest-anyone-celebrating-new-years/

Is it really so hard for you to have a conversation without getting personally offensive?

I expect my standards are higher than the average attorney, if that would satisfy you. I know my morals are.

Again, if you knew anything about Saudi Arabia, you would realize the Royal Family there IS the government. If one criticizes the government, one is being critical of the Royal Family.

So, you do not plan to provide pro bono services for Mr. Badawi?

Tolerance of and defense of abusive practices toward women and deprivations of human rights is a bit inconsistent with declaring oneself as having high standards or moral character.

Badawi did nothing wrong, not did his lawyer. They were trying to help people with their organizations. What happened to both of them is wrong.

[boomerangutang]

Interesting similarities and differences between S.Arabia and N.Korea:

>>> both mandate adulation for rulers, and have very harsh penalties for anything other than total adulation.

>>> both have quite successfully clamped down on dissent and snuffed out deviation.

>>> both are very secretive, and employ draconian measures backed by weapon wielding forces.

>>> neither tolerate any deviation from edicts.

>>> both snuff out creativity and individuality of thought or action.

>>> both ruling cliques are rich.

DIFFERENCES:

>>> One bases its complete authority on a 1,400 year old belief system. The other bases its authority on a 70 year old cult of one family worship. However, both contrived religions worship a man, and have men in charge.

>>> Members of Saudi's ruling clique sneak off to western countries when they want to indulge in debauchery. N.Korea's rulers probably sneak off to China to do same.

>>> One is particularly cruel towards women. The other is cruel towards all their citizens. Rulers in both cases are the obvious exceptions.

>>> One is friends with the US due to oil reserves/revenues, yet pretends it hates US cultural influences. The other pretends it hates the US, yet privately absorbs many western habits. Both regimes are privately jealous of Americans and their freedoms. Neither wants freedom of thought or action to sully their absolute control of the masses.

[boomerangutang]

- double post -

after posting first time, I got a strange online message, something like; 'Failed to acquire desired domain'