Friday prayers had just finished and people were streaming out of al-Jafali mosque, which overlooked the square.
The young man, chained and shackled, was led from the police van by security officers. They took him to the centre of the now large crow that had gathered in the square – passers by had joined worshippers to see what was going on; nearby roads had been blocked off, and there were policemen everywhere.
The man stood shackled in the centre of the crowd. A security officer approached him from behind and began beating him across the back.
An eyewitness told us that the prisoner made no sound while he was beaten, ‘but you could tell from his face and his body that he was in real pain’. They beat him 50 times in less than five minutes. ‘When it was over, the crowd shouted, “Allah-hu Akbar! Allah-hu Akbar!” – as if Raif had been purified’ the eyewitness told us.
The public spectacle was over; Raif Badawi was led back to the van and returned to prison.
Send Raif a message on Facebook and Twitter
Tweet Raif your support
We’ve suggested a couple of tweets below, telling Raif (his account is currently being managed by his wife, Ensaf) that you’ve not forgotten him, and asking the Saudi Arabian king to release this prisoner of conscience.
Hit the button to post a tweet. Feel free to edit the message if you wish.
50 days since @raif_badawi’s flogging but we’ve not forgotten him, @KingSalman. Free #Saudi prisoners of conscience
50 days since your lashes and we’re still with you @raif_badawi! Free #Saudi prisoners of conscience @KingSalman
Post a message of solidarity on Raif’s Facebook page
The Free Raif Facebook page is, as with Raif’s Twitter account, being managed by Raif’s wife. She can pass your messages of support on to her husband – and your support means a lot to Ensaf, too.
Post a message to Raif’s Facebook page
50 days on, we must keep speaking Raif’s name
It’s been 50 days since Raif Badawi was flogged very publicly 50 times by Saudi Arabian officials. In the week leading up to his flogging on 9 January, Raif’s name appeared more and more frequently in news headlines and statements from governments around the world.
At the time, governments – including Saudi Arabia and our own leaders in the UK – were defending free speech after the Charlie Hebdo shootings. Raif, a Saudi Arabian blogger sentenced to a decade in jail, 1,000 lashes and various fines and bans for advocating free speech and debate on his website, seemed to encapsulate the hypocrisy of a regime saluting free speech with one hand, and beating it down with the other.
Raif’s punishment of 1,000 lashes was due to be delivered weekly, after Friday prayers. But, as of today, he has ‘only’ been flogged 50 days ago. The growing number of people speaking out while Raif couldn’t has been phenomenal. We held vigils and protests around the world. Over a million of you signed our global petition for his freedom. And we continue to call on representatives of the UK government to work for Raif’s freedom – meanwhile they continue to wear the Saudi muzzle and keep schtum when asked to call for Raif’s release.
Raif continues to be regarded as a symbol of the struggle for free speech. Just this week, German broadcaster Deutsche Welle gave him their free speech award. He was given a courage award by the Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy the week before. Meanwhile, Raif is still imprisoned for a decade, and still at risk of 950 lashes.
We know that international pressure is having some kind of positive impact on Raif’s case – which is why we must continue to call for his freedom, and let him know that around the world, people stand by him.
