Imagine a 20-square-meter, neglected space in front. And then imagine you imagine this space to share with thirty men, which including murder, theft, drug trafficking and rape accused of minors. Imagine to sleep in the midst of them and under their constant gaze to undress, to eat, to cry.
The now world-famous blogger Raif Badawi lives in such a space, by its own account for now almost four years. The oppressive inside view of his detention in Saudi Arabia, he has his wife Ensaf Haidar portrayed on the phone. In great haste probably because the two can always call a few minutes with each other. From Badawi’s descriptions and reflections the preface of a book that was published this week in the German Ullstein Verlag was. It is called “1000 lashes. Because I say what I think, “and presents several texts of Internet activists -. Those for the arch-conservative country so subversive, long since deleted the internet blog entries, who allowed are offenders of Islam” Badawi enemy of the state and “
No air to breathe
That Badawi’s case ever got into the public around the world mobilized activists, and has recently been addressed by the German Economics Minister Sigmar Gabriel, as this in Riyadh Saudi Arabia’s King Salman met, is largely thanks to his wife. Ensaf Haidar, who lives with their three children in exile in Canada, has started from there Campaign «Free Raif Badawi”. For the book “1,000 lashes” she collaborated with the German journalist Constantin Schreiber. The narrow band gives an insight into the thoughts Badawi, a liberal young Saudis who did not want to come to terms with the intolerance and religious bigotry in his homeland. In 2006, he had founded the website so «Free Saudi liberals” and it condemned the strict interpretation of Islam, but above all the simplicity of the Wahhabi clergy.
“He who observes the Arab society, which is located in spectacular fashion show how this is groaning under the weight of the theocracy, groans and suffers, “Badawi writes in one of his texts. Every free thought will face a wave of hundreds of fatwas, there is freedom of expression but the air that need every thinker to breathe. Badawi’s biggest concern? That the brains of the Arab world will one day be all emigrate in search of fresher air.
pardon or at death?
2012 Badawi was finally arrested for “apostasy” , an offense which is normally punished in Saudi Arabia with death. The judge allowed this accusation that fall. Because “insult” of religion and rebellion against religious authoritarians, the family man but was sentenced to a prison term of 10 years, 1000 lashes and a fine equivalent to a quarter of a million francs. That Badawi never had in mind to insult Islam and more than once urged the beauty of the Quran, was not shared in court. On 9 January this year, just before Badawi’s 31st birthday – and only two days after the murders of cartoonists from ‘Charlie Hebdo’ by radical Islamists – corporal punishment was carried out publicly for the first time
A. secretly mitgeschnittenes video shows that it is not, as has often been falsely claimed, a whip, but a stick was used. Although the superficial damage at first glance but may be lower, but the deeper layers of skin are badly damaged. So were the same, the first 50 of 1000 blows an ordeal, the further execution of the sentence had to be postponed several times since then. Meanwhile, the case is even to be renegotiated, which is quite uncertain whether perhaps still needs to be counted on the death penalty with a pardon from the king or.
hero or traitor
The publication of “1000 lashes” will arrive safely well in German-speaking audience, it proves nothing but the gloomy picture of what is commonly has of Saudi Arabia. Less likely it will impress the authorities in Riyadh. The Foreign Office even advised against the publication of the book, as it could have counterproductive effects. Unlike in Europe, in Saudi Arabia, not everyone sees long in Badawi a hero for freedom of expression. For many, he is little more than a traitor and betrayer. As Ensaf Haidar again recently publicly asked for mercy for her husband, one of her followers tweeted sarcastically that the tender was floated on the lobbies in the West probably nothing.
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