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Samar Badawi
Wednesday, November 21, 2018
Honourable Chrystia Freeland
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Global Affairs Canada
125 Sussex Drive
Ottawa, ON K1A 0G2
chrystia.freeland@international.gc.ca
The Honourable Chrystia Freeland;
Re: Samar Badawi, Loujain al-Hathloul, Iman al-Nafjan, Aziza al-Yousef, Nassima al-Sada, Mohammad al-Rabe’a and Dr Ibrahim al-Modeimigh tortured in Dubhan Prison
Intervention by Global Affairs Canada is urgently needed to ensure the safety and perhaps the lives of Samar Badawi and the other human rights defenders (HRDs) held incommunicado in Dubhan Prison and subjected to torture and other inhuman and degrading treatment and punishment.
Samar Badawi, Loujain al-Hathloul, Iman al-Nafjan, Aziza al-Yousef, Nassima al-Sada, Mohammad al-Rabe’a and Dr Ibrahim al-Modeimigh are imprisoned in Dubhan Prison and denied all rights including rights to: release; due process; legal representation; and, independent judicial oversight. They are therefore completely at the mercy of their Saudi captors.
Testimonies gathered by Amnesty International indicate that these innocent people have been,
…repeatedly tortured by electrocution and flogging, leaving some unable to walk or stand properly. In one reported instance, one of the activists was made to hang from the ceiling, and according to another testimony, one of the detained women was reportedly subjected to sexual harassment, by interrogators wearing face masks. [1]
The victims are in need of protection and medical care for the physical and psychological injuries inflicted by the torture and other ill-treatment and by the risk of repetition.
The Crown Prince has amply demonstrated by the ongoing war and blockades in Yemen, the murder of journalist Jamal Kashoggi and the illegal detention and treatment of these and other HRDs, that he disregards both law and the sanctity of life. Recent events indicate that he may be persuaded by international pressure. The immediate release of Samar Badawi and the others named above is the only means of affording the protection and treatment needed.
LRWC calls on your office to use diplomatic means to secure the safe release of Samar Badawi, Loujain al-Hathloul, Iman al-Nafjan, Aziza al-Yousef, Nassima al-Sada, Mohammad al-Rabe’a and Dr Ibrahim al-Modeimigh. LRWC calls on Global Affairs Canada not to be deterred by Saudi Arabia’s hollow claims of “interference”. Such claims ignore the shared international law obligation of Canada and other States to act peacefully to achieve “universal respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms” by all states. This pledge, accepted by all members of the United Nations is founded on the reality that universal respect for fundamental freedoms is the essential foundation of freedom, peace and justice throughout the world.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Gail Davidson, LRWC[2]
Executive Director
Copied to:
Justin Trudeau
Prime Minister
justin.trudeau@parl.gc.ca
Hélène Laverdière
NDP Critic, Foreign Affairs
Helene.Laverdiere@parl.gc.ca
Honourable Erin O’Toole
Conservative Critic, Foreign Affairs
erin.otoole@parl.gc.ca
Jeff Wheeldon
Green Party of Canada Critic, International Affairs
jeff.wheeldon@greenparty.ca
Mr. Michel Forst
Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders
defenders@ohchr.org
Prof. Nils Melzer
Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment
sr-torture@ohchr.org
Working Group on Arbitrary Detention wgad@ohchr.org
[1] Saudi Arabia: Reports of torture and sexual harassment of detained activists, 20 November 2018, 16:09 UTC at: https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2018/11/saudi-arabia-reports-of-torture-and-sexual-harassment-of-detained-activists/
[2] Lawyers’ Rights Watch Canada (LRWC) is a committee of lawyers and others who promote human rights and the rule of law internationally by: protecting advocacy rights; campaigning for jurists in danger because of their human rights advocacy; engaging in research and education; and working in cooperation with other human rights organizations. LRWC has Special Consultative status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations.
