Two Cases Shed Light on Floggings in Muslim World - ABC News A reader of the Times wrote to the editor that had the regimental doctor put his fingers on Whites wrist he would have found that at each lash his pulse faltered. Then I turned on the television and waited for the lunchtime news. After the first 50 lashes and the international public outcry that followed the men with the whips in Riyadh did not at first dare to repeat the punishment. Badawai will continue to be flogged for the next 19 weeks unless a prison doctor finds him in poor health to continue. See paragraphs 24 and 29-31 for the Saudi official response to accusations that judicial flogging constitutes torture. Saudi Arabia The first 50 lashes: a Saudi activist's wife endures her husband's brutal sentence After Saudi blogger Raif Badawi was arrested and sentenced to prison and 1,000 lashes,. They sulked a little but accepted it. Amnesty International Report 1997 The kingdoms most famous flogging case was that of Raif Badawi, who ran a website that published material criticizing Saudi religious figures, lauding Western legal systems and arguing that atheists should be free to state their views without being punished. I sat on my sofa, wrapped my arms around my legs and wept. How are you and the children? he asked. One of them had been sentenced to lashes, which were never inflicted. 02:28 - Source: CNN. The violence of the blows almost made me suspect as much. Saudi Arabia's human rights record is once again in the headlines after news that a British pensioner living in the country will be publicly flogged for possessing alcohol. Capital punishment for homosexuality - Wikipedia The children eagerly join in. In earlier years' editions it was "frequently". As soon as she had set off with them, I checked my Facebook page. 2023 Cable News Network. Leaflets promoting the release of Saudi Arabian blogger and activist Raif Badawi who is sentenced to 1,000 lashes and ten years in prison for setting up the Saudi Arabian Liberals website, Stay up to date with our daily newsletter, Saudi Arabia: Raif Badawi's family urges Canada to save activist from 1,000 lashes and decade in jail, Saudi Arabia flogging: Activist Raif Badawi whipped 50 times before Muslim worshippers despite worldwide outrage, Saudi Arabia: Activist Raif Badawi's 1,000 lashes public flogging to commence after Friday prayers in 'Chop Chop Square', Saudi Arabia Court Upholds Raif Badawi's Sentence of Ten Years in Prison and 1,000 Lashes, Raif Badawi Just the Latest Victim of Saudi Arabia's Remorseless Assault on Free Expression, Saudi Arabian Online Liberal Activist Raif Badawi Sentenced to 1,000 Lashes, Saudi Blogger Raif Badawi Faces Jail and 600 Lashes For Insulting Islam, Indian parents kill daughter after finding pregnancy test kit, After the silence, body bags: Turkish town counts its dead, Church of England backs blessings for same-sex couples, Fighter planes for Ukraine, a complex challenge for Kyiv's allies, Findings from Reboot reveals people working from home offices are more productive. Saudi Court Upholds Blogger's 10 Years And 1,000 Lashes Sentence @HRHPSalman, Amnesty New Zealand (@AmnestyNZ) January 15, 2015, Today front of Saudi embassy in Germany Berlin, Amnesty stand for #RaifBadawi pic.twitter.com/Os850JtRyX, (@raif_badawi) January 15, 2015, today front of Saudi embassy in Paris for #RaifBadawi pic.twitter.com/ISc0l6ahiu (@raif_badawi) January 15, 2015. This is the shocking moment a Saudi Arabian blogger sentenced to 1,000 lashes for 'insulting Islam' was publicly flogged in front of hundreds of 'cheering' crowds. Saudi blogger Raif Badawi freed after decade in prison You cant stop them doing that. Its better if they find out from you, Robert, the social worker, tried to convince me. I calculated the time difference between Canada and Saudi Arabia and tried to determine the moment when that terrible day for Raif would begin. There have been several other reported and unreported convictions of journalists and activists in Saudi Arabia who have attempted to voice their concerns on Islam or the Saudi culture. 2023 Cable News Network. Saudi lawbreakers face rough justice There was nothing I could do about it. Saudi blogger receives first 50 of 1,000 lashes. There are highly selective quotes from various naive letters to British newspapers upholding tough sentences. Quoted in this Nov 2007 American TV report, Human Rights Watch went so far as to say that flogging was "almost always" a component of any Saudi court sentence. Saudi Arabia Abolishes Flogging as a Punishment for Crime Cites several whipping cases, with some detail of how particular floggings were carried out. Never before seen Amazon tribe filmed by drone, Camera catches mailman stealing family's tomatoes, Video shows self-driving Uber hit pedestrian, Racist chants caught on camera at university, Policemen catch child falling from balcony, Camera captures kangaroo collide with cyclist, Surveillance shows Turpin siblings' escape, Million-dollar jewel heist caught on camera, See terrifying boat crash caught on video. Believe me, I would rather have spared them all that too., This time Raifs reaction was very understanding. He was due to receive the lashes over 20 weeks and was given the first set of 50 on 9 January. This happens "sometimes". Saudi Arabia, France and Egypt on Friday condemned Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich for saying Israel should "wipe out" the Palestinian town of Huwara in the West Bank, adding to the fierce . Literal eye-for-an-eye sentences have been given in the country. Raif Badawi was sentenced to 1,000 lashes in Saudi Arabia, prompting protests around the world One woman flogged for doing just that described on the Iranian Facebook page My Stealthy. John White was not the only person who had died after a flogging but this was the occasion on which the explanation for a dynamic relationship between superficial marks and injuries left on the body and internal organs of the punished was used as a political argument against corporal punishment. I immediately started to cry. Various references to flogging, including a 1996 case in which two secondary school students were whipped for assault in front of their fellow-pupils and teachers. I saw Raifs delicate frame from behind, in the middle of a big crowd of people. The children took that time: they fell ill. All three complained of stomach pains and nausea. They have hurt him very badly. Badawai was sentenced to 10 years in prison, 1,000 lashes and ordered to pay one million Saudi riyals (157,220) for setting up the Saudi Arabian Free Liberals Forum. The HRW spokesperson adds that the accused is "shackled" during the punishment, and is "sometimes" permitted to wear a single layer of clothing; I had had the impression that that was always so. Saudi Arabia was recently condemned for sentencing liberal blogger Raif Badawi to 1,000 lashes for "insulting Islam through electronic channels". November 1997: Behind Closed Doors: Unfair Trials In Saudi Arabia Charges: Violating Islamic values and propagating liberal thought. Crime and punishment in Saudi Arabia: Lashing, imprisonment, and other The Saudi authorities arrested Mr. Badawi in 2012 and put him on trial on charges that included cybercrime and disobeying his father. The quick and essential guide to domestic and global politics from the New Statesman's politics team. It seems not to occur to any of the writers that, since the whole Saudi set-up, including the judicial system, is ruthlessly corrupt from top to bottom, convictions of innocent people are even more likely than in Britain. Raif Badawi has been sentenced to 1,000 lashes and 10 years in prison for promoting public debate on his website, Women can be stoned to death for committing adultery in Saudi Arabia, Stay up to date with our daily newsletter, criticised by groups such as Amnesty International. I didnt know what to say. Saudi Arabian blogger and activist, Raif Badawi, is due to face his second round of 50 lashes on Friday (16 January) after being accused ofinsulting Islam. When would they lead him in front of the mosque in handcuffs? Different reports suggest that, as one might expect under a regime where the rule of law is a wholly alien concept, there are no formal procedures and little consistency about the modus operandi: either a whip, a leather strap, or a long cane may be used; sometimes the lashes are confined to the buttocks, more often it seems they are spread out from the neck to the ankles, and usually with the prisoner simply lying face down on the ground. Sign up to receive information regarding NS events, subscription offers & product updates. Badawi's feet and hands were shackled during the flogging but his face was visible. 'Racist and irresponsible': Saudi Arabia blasts Smotrich's call to wipe Capital punishment as a criminal punishment for homosexuality has been implemented by a number of countries in their history. Did you encounter any technical issues? Caught on camera 16 videos Saudi blogger receives first 50 of 1,000 lashes 02:28 Never before seen Amazon tribe filmed by drone 00:46 Camera catches mailman stealing family's tomatoes 00:55. Badawi received his first 50 lashes in January, but subsequent floggings have been postponed. Convicted murderer Alex Murdaugh sentenced to life in prison. Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund says a ruling directing its chief to provide information in an antitrust fight between LIV Golf and PGA Tour Inc. is an "extraordinary infringement" on . Raif Badawi | Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission Saudi Arabia's most barbaric punishments: From flogging to eye-gouging However, some observers, notably Amnesty International (see external links below), reject these claims as mere propaganda by the regime; they say this Koranic rule is by no means always followed, and suggest that the floggings, at least in some cases, do in fact cause injury to the recipient. HRW has sometimes been prone to exaggeration in the past, but if this is true, I should think it must make Saudi Arabia pretty well unique in the world. Committing adultery can lead to death by stoning. Badawi's floggings have raised an international outcry by human rights' groups and governments, including the US, Canada, Germany and Norway among others who have issued statements urging the Saudi government to drop Badawi's punishment. Copyright Ensaf Haidar, Andrea C. Hoffmann. Dont worry. UN Human Rights Commission: 1997: Thematic Reports It was unpredictable, and depended on variables such as the type of whips, the number of knots that the whips may form and, the external temperature. The first 50 lashes. They stayed quite still and didnt ask any questions. Supreme Court stops order of controversial lashings for convicts, Protesters in Washington DC simulate flogging of imprisoned blogger Raif al-Badawi (AFP), Abdullah al-Hamid: Saudi human rights advocate and 'national hero', Saudi Arabia courts abolish flogging as punishment. A newsletter showcasing the finest writing from the ideas section, covering political ideas, philosophy, criticism and intellectual history - sent every Wednesday. Andrew Buchan and Leila Farzad 'touchy-feely' on . In 2014, a former colleague of Badawi, Su'ad al-Shammari, was charged with "insulting the messenger and the hadith" on Twitter. A Warner Bros. Its a scandal, they wrote. Neom: International companies ignore questions over human rights risks, Neom: Saudi Arabia jails nearly 50 tribespeople for resisting displacement, Morocco to hand over Saudi man facing extradition, says brother, Abdullah al-Hamid, pioneering Saudi human rights defender, dies in custody, Amnesty says Premier League 'risks being a patsy' as Saudi Newcastle buyout edges closer, Saudi Arabia has carried out 800 executions under King Salman: Report. On 2 April, an Asian housemaid was. Had they broken his bones? Over the past few weeks I had completely repressed the idea that Raif was actually going to be whipped in addition to his prison sentence. for bringing liqueur chocolates into the country. Saudi Arabia abolishes flogging as punishment | News | Al Jazeera How was Raif now, I wondered. Copyright 2014 - 2023. Scarred by the savage lash of Islamic justice - The Independent They, they I couldnt go on because with every word I wanted to say I immediately felt the tears welling up. Punishment for drinking, possessing or trading alcohol is severe in the kingdom. It is not absolutely certain that this is official JCP ordered by a court. In 2003, a court sentenced Indian migrant worker Puthan Veettil 'Abd ul-Latif Noushad to be punished by having his right eye gouged out in retribution for his role in a brawl in which a Saudi citizen was injured. End secrecy, end suffering - an Amnesty International briefing Sighting from the video, the lady who had landed herself into this dire trouble had received over 70 lashes . In 19th century Britain, the case of a young soldier who died after a similar assault provoked a national outcry. Caught on camera 16 videos. Report: Saudi girl accepts lashing for assaulting headmistress Did you encounter any technical issues? A very conservative version of Koranic law is in force in this exceptionally backward, corrupt and repressive country, a ruthless totalitarian dictatorship run by an absolute monarchy. Its important that we think together about how to ensure that your children dont suffer any harm from this. A regimental farrier kept on flogging until the fiftieth; he then handed over to his colleague so that he could have a rest. Bamboo is too stiff and brittle to behave like a whip.). Camera catches mailman stealing . Saudi Arabian blogger Raif Badawi was sentenced to 1,000 lashes for insulting Islam in May 2014. was given a punishment of 100 lashes after . International pressure is crucial, I believe if we keep up the support it will eventually pay off. Sign up and stay up to date with our daily newsletter. Said Boumedouha, Deputy Director of Amnesty International's Middle East and North Africa Programme said: "The world's spotlight is shining on Saudi Arabia. Copyright 2023 IBTimes UK. The colonel and the regiments doctor stood with their arms folded. The inquest into the Hounslow case sparked a national outcry. Reveals that the Saudi authorities have contested the UN view that judicial corporal punishment constitutes torture. Hes fine, I lied. As a result, the Martial Court had sentenced White to 150 lashes. Why Larry Summers is moving left with age, The Lockdown Files only confirm every suspicion we had about the pandemic government, Undermining Sue Grays integrity wont save Boris Johnson, Universal Credit falls short of covering the bare essentials. Hamid was a founding member of the Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association (ACPRA) and was sentenced to 11 years in jail in March 2013, campaigners said. Protesters take part in an Amnesty International protest in front of the Saudi embassy in London against the flogging of Raif Badawi. Raif Badawi: Saudi blogger freed after decade in prison Saudi Arabia: Undercover video of Raif Badawi's flogging goes public By continuing to dole out this inhuman punishment the Saudi Arabian authorities are flagrantly flouting basic human rights principles.". Paragraphs 587 to 589 of this 1995 UN document refer to various Saudi flogging cases. But I saw clearly that he was striking Raif with all his might. Raif Badawi's family have warned he could die if the 1,000 lashes are carried out. SAUDI ARABIA: Judicial CP. Saudi Arabia: Gang rape victim sentenced to 200 lashes, rapists get away with light punishment New Delhi: In a shocking incident, a court in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia sentenced 200 lashes and a . No one in our house ever talked about the subject again. Have they done it? I asked her. He offered to come home with me and jump in when I couldnt cope any more. On 7 January 2015, two masked men stormed the editorial offices of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris and shot 11 journalists. Nevertheless, surprisingly soon he is heard moaning and shouting. When would the prison warders wake him? The jurys verdict, given on 4 August 1846, was that Frederick John White died from the mortal effects of the flogging that he had received at Cavalry Barracks in Hounslow. The man himself could not be made out in the video. The article also claims that there is unhappiness in the country about inconsistent sentencing, suggests that there are too many flogging sentences, and calls on the government to codify the laws. Ohio band member and family killed in murder-suicide, police say, Police: Mayor of College Park, Maryland, arrested for child pornography, 5 Best Destinations for a Family Safari in Africa, Trade in Your Fitbit: A Smart and Sustainable Way to Upgrade Your Tech, The Reason Why Banks and Other Businesses Require so Many Details. Everythings great, but the prison warders are very bad people. Saudi Fund Fires Back at Order Letting PGA Question Its Boss A man is seen being whipped in public. The caning, if so it can be described, is targeted very approximately at the culprit's buttocks, but its administration is so hasty and slapdash that some of the strokes appear to fall on the small of his back. But worst of all was the feeling of helplessness. Some of those offenses are now seen as less grave in Saudi Arabia because of changes pushed through by Prince Mohammed. In the morning, before the children woke up, I confiscated all the computers, tablets and telephones in the apartment, and I unplugged the television. Page updated May 2021, US State Department Report on Human Rights Practices for 1997, US State Department Report on Human Rights Practices for 2000, US State Department Report on Human Rights Practices for 2001, US State Department Report on Human Rights Practices for 2003, US State Department Report on Human Rights Practices for 2004, US State Department Report on Human Rights Practices for 2005, US State Department Report on Human Rights Practices for 2006, End secrecy, end suffering - an Amnesty International briefing, case of 35 men sentenced to jail and lashes, UN Committee Against Torture, 10 May 2002, The Saudi Media Debates Flogging by the Saudi Religious Police, UN Human Rights Commission: 1997: Thematic Reports, 1994: Unwelcome "guests": The plight of Iraqi refugees, November 1997: Behind Closed Doors: Unfair Trials In Saudi Arabia. The following 40-second video clip was filmed surreptitiously on a mobile telephone. Our weekly culture newsletter from books and art to pop culture and memes sent every Friday. It is the extreme rapidity of the strokes -- about four per second -- which is perhaps most surprising, and which makes this seem quite a different kind of thing from the formal and ceremonial manner in which JCP has typically been conducted in the British world (Malaysia, Pakistan, etc. Judicial Corporal Punishment in Saudi Arabia Some sources suggest that hundreds of these flogging sentences are imposed every week, mostly without press publicity. They didnt go to school for several days. But I cant do that! Theyll find out anyway, she argued. A weekly round-up of some of the best articles featured in the most recent issue of the New Statesman, sent each Saturday. Since then our little flat in Sherbrooke has turned into a campaign office for Raifs liberation. Local courts routinely order floggings, often of hundreds of lashes -- or even thousands, inflicted in instalments. Earlier this month, human rights organisation Reprieve reported that Saudi Arabiahad carried out the800th execution inKing Salman's five years of rule. 3 February 2015 What actually happens when you get flogged Thanks to Saudi Arabia's brutal and inhumane treatment of blogger Raif Badawi, flogging as a punishment is back in the news. This implies that the Saudi authorities draw a distinction between "moral" offences to do with sex or alcohol, punished by caning, and political or religious crimes, punished by flogging with a leather strap. Video: Women 'thieves' receive 30 lashes each on the orders of a sharia judge. The new year began with an act of violence. How severe were the wounds that he had suffered from this brutal abuse? Death sentences are almost exclusively based on the system of judicial sentencing discretion (), following the classical principle of avoiding Sharia-prescribed penalties when possible.In recent decades, the government and the courts have increasingly issued these sentences, reacting to a rise in violent crime during the 1970s. The October 2018 murder of vocal critic Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul and the increased repression of dissidents at home have overshadowed the prince's pledge to modernise the economy and society. **Note: The sentence durations listed are according to the Hijri (Islamic Lunar) Calendar used by Saudi . The decision to replace flogging as a punishment with jail time and fines was made sometime this month and announced internally by the kingdoms top court, Reuters reported. Saudi blogger receives first 50 of 1,000 lashes. The invisible scars made by strikes of the cane - DW - 03/05/2015 My children and I are grateful for every day when they dont whip Raif again. The USSD has now decided to refer to all Saudi JCP as "lashing" and makes no reference to different implements. It was full of declarations of solidarity with Raif and me: our friends were shocked at what was due to happen today. The next day, I spoke to Raif. Ms Haidar, asked a womans voice. By Diana Garrisi 2. Saudi Blogger Lashed 50 Times For Insulting Islam (Video) Capital punishment in Saudi Arabia is a legal penalty. The teachers and I, along with the psychologist, will talk to the pupils. The New Statesmans global affairs newsletter, every Monday and Friday. Raifs head was bowed. One reader describes being himself judicially caned in Saudi Arabia in 1994 (probably a hoax: it was in the Daily Mail). Things that you should avoid doing in Saudi Arabia Cites a Human Rights Watch claim that "judges routinely issued sentences of thousands of lashes as punishment, often carried out in public". The most high-profile instance of flogging in recent years was the case of Saudi blogger Raif Badawi, who was arrested in 2012 and sentenced to seven years in prison and 600 lashes and then . With trembling hands I clicked on the video to set it in motion. Rights group Prisoners of Conscience claimed the human rights activist died because his health was neglected after doctors recommended he be taken for heart surgery. Ill call you as soon as I can. UK prime minister David Cameron personally urged Saudi authorities not to administer the 350 lashings that 74-year-old oil executive Karl Andree was sentenced to for being caught with bootleg wine in his car. Scroll down to "Migrant workers in Saudi Arabia" for a first-person description of a Filipino woman's judicial caning. 02:28. Saudi Arabia Abolishes Flogging as a Punishment for Crime, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/25/world/middleeast/saudi-arabia-abolishes-flogging.html. The most high-profile instance of flogging in recent years was the case of Saudi blogger Raif Badawi who was sentenced to 10 years in prison and 1,000 lashes in 2014 for "insulting" Islam. Saudi Arabia courts abolish flogging as punishment The document casts doubt on past claims that these are relatively lightly administered and meant as a symbolic humiliation rather than as serious pain. But now hes better again. My children reacted very strangely to this new revelation. SAUDI Arabia's medieval punishments are in the spotlight as the country's investment fund looks to set to take over Newcastle United. All Rights Reserved. Then you have the experience of the floggers. appreciated. And, as is common in the Arab world, the prisoner keeps all his clothes on. Saudi Arabia abolishes flogging as punishment - The Hindu The US Department of State report found that, although the death penalty is a possibility for same-sex sexual activity, prosecutors did not seek to impose this punishment during the year..