USCIRF Highlights Continued Systematic Religious Freedom Violations in Saudi Arabia

30 April 2018 – On Friday 27 April, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) released its 2018 annual report, “documenting religious freedom violations and progress in 28 countries during the 2017 calendar year and making recommendations to the United States (US) government.” In the report, USCIRF notes that throughout 2017, “religious freedom[…]

ADHRB Condemns Raif Badawi’s Continued Imprisonment in Saudi

Today marks the fifth anniversary of activist and blogger Raif Badawi’s imprisonment in Saudi Arabia on charges of apostasy and allegedly insulting Islam in his blog “Free Saudi Liberals.” Americans for Democracy (ADHRB) strongly condemns his continued imprisonment and the Saudi government’s suppression of free expression and targeting of critics. Saudi authorities detained Badawi on[…]

Saudi Activist Raif Badawi Spends Fifth Year in Prison

Today marks the fifth anniversary of activist and blogger Raif Badawi’s arbitrary detention in Saudi Arabia. On 17 June 2012, Saudi officials arrested Badawi on charges of apostasy for allegedly insulting Islam in his online publications and establishing the website “Free Saudi Liberals,” a forum for discussion. The Saudi government sentenced Badawi to ten years[…]

US Representative McGovern delivers statement on Saudi imprisonment of Raif Badawi

On Monday, 22 May 2017, Representative James McGovern (D-MA) delivered a statement in Congress on the continued detention of Raif Badawi and all prisoners of conscience in Saudi Arabia. A Saudi court sentenced human rights activist and writer Badawi to a total of 10 years in prison and 1,000 lashes for free speech-related charges. 17[…]

ADHRB Welcomes Rapporteur on Terrorism’s Observations After Saudi Visit

On 4 May 2017, Ben Emmerson, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights while countering terrorism, returned from a five-day visit of Saudi Arabia. Upon the conclusion of his trip, he released his preliminary observations. While he noted that the Saudi government was engaging in some positive steps to[…]