But as we were sitting together in the kitchen over cornflakes and maple syrup my phone rang. She wanted me to come in. The coroner was Thomas Wakley, a surgeon, medical journalist, and also the Lancets founder and an ardent anti-flogging campaigner. 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. 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. But now hes better again. My children reacted very strangely to this new revelation. Even if it didnt tell me anything good about Raifs physical state, at the same time it was positive news: at least this week they wouldnt be torturing him anymore. The lack of a unified penal code gives judges great leeway in sentencing, and flogging was most often part of the punishment for so-called moral crimes such as public drunkenness or what judges deemed to be inappropriate contact between unrelated women and men. 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 . Cites several whipping cases, with some detail of how particular floggings were carried out. Several press reports of notable JCP cases during 2005 are summarised, all of them already covered by me in The Archive. A few days earlier, White, under the effects of alcohol, had had an argument with his sergeant and, during the fight he had stroked the sergeants chest with a metal bar. Cites press reports that Saudi flogging (which the USSD seems to think is something different from caning) is administered with a "thin reed" by a man holding a book under his arm. It is certainly clear in one of the two available photographs (see above) that the operative is raising his caning arm high and has no book under it. 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. After performing an autopsy within Hounslow Barracks, the medical army officers declared that his death was in no way connected with the flogging he had received almost a whole month earlier. Then, the skin was intended as a bodys shield. Sentenced to 40 lashes for wearing a miniskirt in the privacy of a friend's home in Iran, Tala Raassi describes the punishment that changed her life. When John White was found dead in his dorm, two weeks after writing the letter of apology to his relatives, the skin on his back had healed. This was not because he thought that this number could be established but only to show the jury and the reporters that the number could not be quantified. But the children behaved as if they hadnt heard their words at all. Thanks for coming, she said to me. If you are travelling to SA, you have to avoid drinking alcohol. Lots of people had shared my message and passed it on. 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. Protesters take part in an Amnesty International protest in front of the Saudi embassy in London against the flogging of Raif Badawi. Video: Saudi girl sentenced to 90 lashes "The court should have looked for an alternative sentence," he said, adding that the group is calling on an appeals court in Jubail to hear the case again. He had been arrested by the . Andrew Buchan and Leila Farzad 'touchy-feely' on . At paragraph 32 we are informed that the Saudi Arabian judiciary is "completely independent", a claim not supported by various USSD and Amnesty reports. today front of Saudi embassy in Paris for #RaifBadawi pic.twitter.com/ISc0l6ahiu, - Said Boumedouha, Deputy Director of Amnesty International's Middle East and North Africa Programme, IBT UK Morning Brief - Let the best of International News come to you. He gave me a note saying that Im not yet fit enough to be whipped again. Thank God, I said. Once I got home, I called the children together in the sitting room again. At least in Saudi cities, it is much more common to see women socializing openly with men and not covering their hair or faces than it was a few years ago. My husband was the second item, immediately after the events in France. But when I told them they werent to go to school that day, but spend the day with my friends Sylvie and Jane and Janes dogs, they were very excited. Quick and essential guide to domestic and global politics from the New Statesman's politics team. appreciated. Badawi received his first 50 lashes in January, but subsequent floggings have been postponed. A Warner Bros. I suppose you thought to punish me for not writing, said Private Frederick John White in a letter to his brother on 25 June 1846. Dont be either particularly curious or overly kind or even sympathetic., And you must also use today to talk to your children. It is evident that practice in Saudi Arabia is far from uniform. Copyright 2023 IBTimes UK. When would the prison warders wake him? The man himself could not be made out in the video. Earlier this month, human rights organisation Reprieve reported that Saudi Arabiahad carried out the800th execution inKing Salman's five years of rule. 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. In the above video, IBTimes UK explains five of the most barbaric punishments you can receive in Saudi Arabia. I felt the pain they were inflicting on Raif as if it was my own. iran lashes punishment video iran lashes punishment video (No Ratings Yet) . 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. June 2001 article in The Guardian (London), largely recycling information from Amnesty reports, including a first-person account of being flogged. Its indescribable, watching something like that being done to the person you love. Some of those offenses are now seen as less grave in Saudi Arabia because of changes pushed through by Prince Mohammed. Im tough, he said, apparently quite cheerful. You cant stop them doing that. Its better if they find out from you, Robert, the social worker, tried to convince me. According to the British nonprofit, which campaigns against the death penalty, the rate of execution in Saudi Arabia has doubled since 2015, when King Salman succeeded to the throneafter the death of his half-brother, King Abdullah. Convicted murderer Alex Murdaugh sentenced to life in prison. Anyone can read what you share. HRW describes the implement used as "a bamboo whip about 7 feet long". Saudi blogger receives first 50 of 1,000 lashes. 1.8k. 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. Flogging, whipping or lashing are all used in Saudi Arabia and can be administered for offences such as spending time with the opposite sex, being gay or even for bringing liqueur chocolates into the country. I would not call it a breakthrough, said Adam Coogle, a researcher at Human Rights Watch who tracks Saudi Arabia. HRANA News Agency - A prisoner identified as "A-B" was executed on charge of murder in public on the boulevard of Goharbaran in the Surak city, of Mazandaran Province, on 4 th January, and the following video report shows this execution.. HRANA News Agency again invites citizens to get involved in reporting and improving the human rights situation in Iran, by sending observations, photos . appreciated. 2023 Cable News Network. was given a punishment of 100 lashes after . Im afraid so, Ensaf, Raif said. In earlier years' editions it was "frequently". Drinking alcohol is a criminal offense, and drug trafficking often a capital crime. RT now to #FreeRaif! The next day, I spoke to Raif. Since then our little flat in Sherbrooke has turned into a campaign office for Raifs liberation. We will ask them not to talk to your children explicitly about the subject when they come back. But Ensaf, he said soothingly. Video: Women 'thieves' receive 30 lashes each on the orders of a sharia judge. OK? OK, I replied. Bamboo is too stiff and brittle to behave like a whip.). Men are buried up to their waists and women up to their breasts, with the stones used deliberately small enough to not kill the condemned in just a couple of strikes. In 2014, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison, fined more than a quarter-million dollars, and ordered to endure 1,000 blows with a cane in weekly installments over several months. Saudi govt condemns #CharlieHebdo attack as "cowardly" but flogs activist blogger @Raif_Badawi next day. Required fields are marked *, This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google, VIDEO: Ghanaian lady receives 100 lashes for fornicating in Saudi Arabia, Why You Need to Read Business News Everyday, Drivers directed to reduce transport fares, The Shocking Moment Pastor Calls God During Church Service -WATCH VIDEO. Public floggings have grown rare in recent years, either because the punishment was being administered in prisons or not at all. It all looks decidedly informal and ad hoc and arbitrary, but then the whole Saudi system is very ad hoc and arbitrary. The Saudi authorities arrested Mr. Badawi in 2012 and put him on trial on charges that included cybercrime and disobeying his father. A weekly round-up of some of the best articles featured in the most recent issue of the New Statesman, sent each Saturday. beheading nearly twice as many people as Isis, Karl Andree: David Cameron urges Saudi Arabia to abandon grandfather flogging and drops prison contract, 74-year-old British pensioner to be publicly flogged in Saudi Arabia for carrying alcohol, Ali Mohammed al-Nimr crucifixion: Defiant Saudi Arabia rejects international 'interference' in protester's crucifixion, 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. Raif Badawi's family have warned he could die if the 1,000 lashes are carried out. "I told our children about the news last week so that they would not find out about it from friends at school. April 2005 release from Human Rights Watch gives a bit more information about the case of 35 men sentenced to jail and lashes for "deviant sexual behaviour" at an alleged gay party. A circular issued by the Ministry of Justice and sent to the courts of the kingdom reports an abolition demanded for years by human rights organizations, which, however, harbors a small print: lashes will continue to be applied in crimes such as adultery, attack on . Thomas Wakley. By Diana Garrisi On Wednesday, Prince of Saudi Arabia's ruling Al Saud family was given lashes in a prison in Jeddah as a part of court-ordered punishment, as reported by Saudi newspaper. Saudi Arabia has abolished flogging as a legal punishment in response to criticism of its use of corporal punishment, the Supreme Court has announced. According to unconfirmed reports those condemned to die this way are given tranquilisers, before being taken to a public square after midday prayers. As one of the witnesses told the coroner during the inquiry, blood had appeared between Whites shoulders after twenty lashes had been given. Saudi Arabian blogger Raif Badawi was sentenced to 1,000 lashes for insulting Islam in May 2014. Reportedly, those flogged do not receive medical treatment. Ensaf Haidar, wife of jailed Saudi blogger Raif Badawi, holds a picture of her husband in the European parliament in Strasbourg, France. 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. 1.6k. 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. Saudi Justice Through British Eyes The following 40-second video clip was filmed surreptitiously on a mobile telephone. US State Department Report on Human Rights Practices for 1997 All Rights Reserved. Tempering his enthusiasm, he said, were what he called the many other aspects of the kingdoms justice system that remain problematic, including the ability to hold people for months without charge, execution by beheading and the lack of a unified penal code. Oh, great! said Dodi, who is very fond of the creatures. How was Raif now, I wondered. As a result, the Martial Court had sentenced White to 150 lashes. On returning the verdict the jury called upon the public to send petitions to the British Legislature for the abolition of this form of military punishment. US State Department Report on Human Rights Practices for 2004 All rights reserved. Sign up to receive information regarding NS events, subscription offers & product updates. 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. 02:28. Around 100 people are beheaded in Saudi Arabia every year, with the country beheading nearly twice as many people as Isis so far in 2015. Support 100 years of independent journalism. Women as well as men may be flogged. A 2015 demonstration in Paris in support of Raif Badawi. He looked thin. There are highly selective quotes from various naive letters to British newspapers upholding tough sentences. Floggings tended to be done with a wooden cane, the swift blows going up and down the backside of the sentenced person. 2014: South Park's Cartman says he's 'trans' to use girls' bathroom. This happens "sometimes". Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much Despite the change attributed to reforms under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Amnesty International reported last week that Saudi Arabia executed a record 184 people in 2019, accusing the kingdom of using the death penalty notably against ShiaMuslim dissidents. So we have witnesses. 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. In the past, they were often carried out in public, adding a social stigma to the physical pain inflicted. Speaking to Amnesty International, Badawi's wife, Ensaf Haidar, who is based in Canada said she fears her husband is not physically fit to endure a second round of lashes. If authorities ignore widespread criticism and unashamedly continue with the flogging of Raif Badawi, Saudi Arabia would be demonstrating contempt for international law and disregard for world opinion. By now some of my Facebook friends were referring to it. Said Boumedouha, Deputy Director of Amnesty International's Middle East and North Africa Programme said: "The world's spotlight is shining on Saudi Arabia. Raifs head was bowed. Nevertheless, surprisingly soon he is heard moaning and shouting. As soon as she had set off with them, I checked my Facebook page. States that at least 27 individuals were sentenced to flogging in 1996. Never before seen Amazon tribe filmed by drone. Did he get medical treatment for his wounds? after they tried to take back property that ISIS fighters had stolen from their homes Women flogged thirty times. Theyve beaten your father, he told the children. Saudi Arabia has officially eliminated flogging as punishment as of Wednesday. Raifs face smiles from the banner over our sofa, while we get together to make posters for the next demonstration. Have you heard about the attack in Paris? I asked him. The wounds heal slowly. Are you receiving medical treatment? Yes, a doctor examined me. The report for 2000 adds that 5 persons were sentenced to 2,600 lashes, and 4 persons to 2,400 lashes, for "deviant sexual behavior". Now, as part of his effort to reshape how the kingdom is run, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has done away with flogging as punishment, and perhaps dampened the international condemnation that came with it. Criticism of Saudi Arabia's human rights record has grown since King Salman named his son Mohammed crown prince and heir to the throne in June 2017. Public beheading, crucifixion and paralysis are all part of its ruthless and medieval justice system, which has seen record numbers executed. He was due to receive the lashes over 20 weeks and was given the first set of 50 on 9 January. Tennessee becomes first state to outlaw drag shows on public grounds, near schools. The New Statesmans global affairs newsletter, every Monday and Friday. Flogging in the military, navy, schools and private homes was a common disciplinary measure in the nineteenth century. I hurried over. 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. Sentence: Ten years in prison, 1,000 lashes, a fine of 1 million riyals (equal to about $266,000), and is banned from any media work or foreign travel for 10 years after his release from prison. In the above video, IBTimes UK explains five of the most barbaric punishments you can receive in Saudi Arabia. According to Wilson, the injuries resulting from flogging were confined to the skin but the flogging was followed by inflammation of the internal organs and pulpy softening of muscles. A photograph of a portrait by W H Egleton, after K Meadows. ), where a very specific number of strokes is delivered slowly and carefully. I calculated the time difference between Canada and Saudi Arabia and tried to determine the moment when that terrible day for Raif would begin. That angered Saudi conservatives, who denounced him. Raif, I said, the whole world is talking about your fate. I took a deep breath. I woke them up at half past seven on the dot, as always. Saudi officials hailed the flogging ban as part of these changes. Saudi officials hailed the move to abolish flogging, which was confirmed by the kingdoms state-run human rights commission on Saturday, as another bold reform by Prince Mohammed. When would they lead him in front of the mosque in handcuffs? Its all my fault, he said. The prisoner in this case is allegedly a sex offender, though there is no way of verifying that. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. On 23 March this year, an Islamic court there ordered two women to receive 180 lashes for alleged adultery. When flogging in the army was legally abolished in 1881, a few people knew it was still in law. Even when a cane is used, the punishment is normally referred to as "flogging" rather than "caning"; and the lashes (rarely "strokes") are reportedly not (or anyway not usually) inflicted with the full strength of the operator, as they are required to be in countries with a British judicial caning tradition such as Singapore and Malaysia, with their maximum of 24 strokes at any one infliction; indeed, if Saudi-style sentences of hundreds of lashes were inflicted in the Singapore manner, the prisoner would surely not survive. Amnesty International document. In very quick succession he took the blows all over the back of his body: he was lashed from shoulders to calves, while the men around him clapped and uttered pious phrases. Neither of them checked the soldiers pulse. One of them had been sentenced to lashes, which were never inflicted. All Rights Reserved. They didnt go to school for several days. Here, in an excerpt from her new book, Raif Badawi, The Voice of Freedom: My Husband, Our Story (Other Press), she describes learning that his sentence would begin, and how she told her children of their fathers fate. I called my friend Mireille. In order to discipline the mind it was considered necessary to discipline the body. I saw Raifs delicate frame from behind, in the middle of a big crowd of people. They stared at him. Only England and Wales jurisdiction apply in all legal matters. It was full of declarations of solidarity with Raif and me: our friends were shocked at what was due to happen today.