In an open letter, Amnesty International called on Foreign Affairs Minister Stéphane Dion to press the Saudis to release all prisoners of conscience.Fred Lum/The Globe and Mail
Amnesty International is urging Foreign Affairs Minister Stéphane Dion to focus his efforts on securing the release of imprisoned blogger Raif Badawi and his lawyer as the Canadian government meets with Saudi officials.
"We urge that you use all possible opportunities and exchanges during your visit to raise grave human-rights concerns related to both Saudi Arabia and Yemen," wrote Alex Neve, Secretary-General of Amnesty International Canada, and Béatrice Vaugrante, head of Amnesty International Canada's francophone wing, in an open letter.
The letter, which was written in advance of the minister's departure, calls on Mr. Dion and parliamentary secretary Omar Alghabra to press the Saudis to "immediately and unconditionally release all prisoners of conscience including Raif Badawi and Waleed Abu al-Khair," and to insist that the Saudi government "cease the war crimes and other human-rights violations that have been and continue to be committed by the Saudi-led coalition that has intervened in Yemen."
Mr. Badawi was sentenced to 10 years in prison and 1,000 lashes for blogs that the government condemned as "apostasy" or "insulting Islam through electronic channels." The flogging portion of his sentence was suspended after 50 lashes, in the wake of strong international criticism. His case is of particular interest to the Canadian government because Mr. Badawi's wife and three children received shelter in this country after they fled Saudi Arabia.
Mr. Abu al-Khair, a human-rights lawyer who defended Mr. Badawi and others before the Saudi courts, was sentenced to 15 years for what Amnesty International calls "wholly unfounded" terrorism charges.
Critics allege that the intervention of a Saudi-led coalition into Yemen's civil war has resulted in thousands of civilian deaths and worsened conditions in a country where the situation for many was already desperate.
However, the letter made only passing reference to the Canadian government's controversial decision to sell light armoured vehicles to Saudi Arabia. The $15-billion purchase will secure thousands of jobs in the Canadian defence industry, but opponents of the sale, including Amnesty International, say the vehicles could be used in offensive actions by the regime against Yemeni rebels.
Joseph Pickerill, Mr. Dion's director of communications, said by e-mail Monday that the minister had been in meetings with the Gulf Cooperation Council and would be speaking with Saudi officials Tuesday. "Minister Dion takes every opportunity to raise critical issues, particularly humanitarian cases," Mr. Pickerill said. "We raised these issues today and will do so again when we meet the Foreign Minister [Tuesday]."
As for the Amnesty International letter: "We also have a very good relationship with Amnesty International and always appreciate their advice."
He could provide no information, however, on whether Mr. Dion's visit might secure Mr. Badawi's release.
John Ibbitson