Today, Marietje Schaake and more than 100 other MEPs sent a letter to High Representative Federica Mogherini. They call for urgent action in the case of Saudi Arabian Writer Raif Badawi. Please refer to the letter below or download.
Earlier, on September 26, 2014, Schaake sent Written Questions to High Representative Mogherini when the Court of Appeal in Saudi Arabia upheld the sentence imposed on Raif Badawi on 7 May.
Call for urgent action in the case of Saudi Arabian writer Raif Badawi from MEP's
Dear Madam High Representative,
Dear Federica Mogherini,
As you are no doubt aware, a tragic and barbaric abuse of human rights is currently taking place in Saudi Arabia supported by the judicial system. The writer and blogger Raif Badawi has been sentenced to 10 years imprisonment and 1000 lashes for starting a website and expressing his critical views of religious authorities.
As of this writing Raif Badawi has already been publicly flogged once, specifically on the 9th of January when 50 lashes were administered. A further 50 lashes were scheduled for Friday the 16th of January. These were however suspended following a medical examination which found that Mr Badawi was physically unable to sustain further abuse.
Mr Badawi therefore still faces the gruelling prospect of a further 950 lashes. Those will be applied when his doctors may deem that his wounds are sufficiently healed to allow his body to endure further torture.
A formal Written Question to the High Representative has already been lodged. However, owing to the urgent nature of Mr Badawi's desperate case we, the undersigned Members of the European Parliament have deemed it necessary to write directly to you and to ask you to take immediate action on behalf of the European Union and its member states.
We therefore ask you to;
- Condemn, in the strongest possible terms, the treatment of Raif Badawi
- Ask the Saudi Arabian authorities that the remaining sentence be immediately suspended and ultimately revoked
- State the actions that you, the EEAS and the Commission in general have taken or are going to take regarding this case
Kind regards,
Agnes JONGERIUS
Alessia Maria MOSCA
Ana Maria GOMES
Ana-Claudia TAPARDEL
Anders VISTISEN
Ángela VALLINA DE LA NOVAL
Angelika MLINAR
Anneliese DODDS
Anne-Marie MINEUR
Barbara KAPPEL
Barbara LOCHBIHLER
Bart STAES
Beatriz BECERRA BASTERRECHEA
Bodil CEBALLOS
Carlos COELHO
Catherine BEARDER
Catherine STIHLER
Charles TANNOCK
Christel SCHALDEMOSE
Christine REVAULT d'ALLONNES BONNEFOY
Clara Eugenia AGUILERA GARCÍA
Clare MOODY
Claude ROLIN
Costas CHRYSOGONOS
Csaba SÓGOR
Demetris PAPADAKIS
Dennis DE JONG
Dietmar KÖSTER
Edourd MARTIN
Elena VALENCIANO
Enrique CALVET CHAMBON
Eric ANDRIEU
Eva KAILI
Fabio DE MASI
Fernando MAURA BARANDIARÁN
Fredrick FEDERLEY
Gerben-Jan GERBRANDY
Glenis WILLMOTT
Hans-Olaf HENKEL
Heidi HAUTALA
Hilde VAUTMANS
Hugues BAYET
Inmaculada RODRÍGUEZ-PIÑERO FERNÁNDEZ
Ivo VAJGL, ALDE
Izaskun BILBAO NARANDICA
Javier COUSO PERMUY
Javier LOPEZ
Jean-Luc SCHAFFHAUSER
Jeppe KOFOD
Josef WEIDENHOLZER
Juan Carlos GIRAUTA VIDAL
Jude KIRTON-DARLING
Julie WARD
Jutta STEINRUCK
Karima Delli
Kati PIRI
Kostadinka KUNEVA
Lidia SENRA RODRÍGUEZ
Mady DELVAUX-STEHRES
Maria NOICHL
Marietje SCHAAKE
Marina ALBIOL GUZMÁN
Mark DEMESMAEKER
Martina WERNER
Matt CARTHY
Matthijs VAN MILTENBURG
Merja KYLLÖNEN
Miapetra KUMPULA-NATRI
Michel REIMON
Miltiadis KYRKOS
Miriam DALLI
Miroslav POCHE
Morten HELVEG PETERSEN
Morten MESSERSCHMIDT
Neena Gill
Nessa CHILDERS
Nicolas BAY
Ole CHRISTENSEN
Olga SEHNALOVÁ
Paloma LÓPEZ BERMEJO
Pascal DURAND
Patricija ŠULIN
Paul TANG
Pavel TELIČKA
Pedro SILVA PEREIRA
Petras AUSTREVICIUS
Renate WEBER
Renato SORU
Richard CORBETT
Richard HOWITT
Rina Ronja KARI
Roberta METSOLA
Sabine LÖSING
Santiago FISAS AYXELÀ
Seb DANCE
Sofia SAKORAFA
Sophia in 't VELD
Soraya POST
Sylvie GUILLAUME
Tanja FAJON
Theresa GRIFIN
Ulrike LUNACEK
Ulrike TREBESIUS
Victor NEGRESCU
Vincent PEILLON
