Case History: Samar Badawi
On 13 February 2017, the Bureau of Investigation in Jeddah summoned Samar Badawi for questioning, requesting that she present herself to the Bureau on 15 February 2017.
Samar Badawi is a prominent Saudi human rights defender, who has challenged the conservative authorities by advocating for the rights of women to vote and to drive. Samar has been jailed for her activities and faces ongoing harassment and threats of punishment from both the government and the religious authorities. However, she has also been an inspiration to thousands of Saudi women and along with fellow defenders is challenging gender inequality in Saudi Arabia.
On 13 February 2017, the Bureau of Investigation in Jeddah summoned Samar Badawi for questioning, requesting that she present herself to the Bureau on 15 February 2017.
Samar Badawi is a human rights defender, who has challenged Saudi authorities by advocating for the rights of women to vote and drive in Saudi Arabia. After she was denied registration for the 2011 municipal elections, Samar Badawi filed a Grievances Board lawsuit against the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs. She participated in the 2011–2012 women's driving campaign. She further assisted women drivers with police and court procedures. In 2012, she received the International Woman of Courage Award.
On 13 February 2017 at 10:00am, Samar Badawi received a phone call from the Bureau of Investigation in Jeddah requesting that she goes to the Bureau on 15 February 2017 for questioning but was not given a specific reason for the summons.
On 12 January 2016, Saudi police arrested Samar Badawi in connection with her human rights activities. She was released on bail the following day. Saudi authorities imposed a travel ban on Samar Badawi on 3 December 2014 and she has since been repeatedly summoned for interrogation by the Saudi police due to her human rights activities. The human rights defender’s travel ban followed a statement that she delivered at the 27th UN Human Rights Council on 16 September 2014.
Front Line Defenders expresses concern at the continued judicial harassment of Samar Badawi, particularly as she has been summoned for investigation yet again by Saudi authorities. Front Line Defenders believes that the action of the Saudi authorities are directly related to the human rights defender’s peaceful and legitimate work on protecting and promoting human rights.
On 13 January 2016, early in the morning, Saudi human rights defender Samar Badawi was released on bail.
She then appeared in court but was released without charge. Saudi police arrested her on 12 January and interrogated her about her human rights activities.
On 12 January, Samar Badawi went to Jeddah Police's Criminal Investigation Section after being summoned by phone on 7 January. She and her two-year-old daughter were then transferred in a police vehicle to the Al Salamah district Police Station, where Samar Badawi was interrogated for four hours. The police officers questioned Samar Badawi about managing the Twitter account of her husband, human rights defender Waleed Abu Al-Khair, who is currently in jail.
Saudi authorities banned Samar Badawi from travelling since December 2014. She has been repeatedly summoned for interrogation by the Saudi police because of her human rights activities.
On Tuesday, 12 January 2016, Saudi police arrested human rights defender Samar Badawi in connection to her human rights activities.
The human rights defender was transferred to Zahban prison in Jeddah and will be interrogated on January 13 before the public prosecution.
Samar Badawi is a prominent Saudi human rights defender, who has challenged the conservative authorities by advocating for the rights of women to vote and to drive in Saudi Arabia. After she was denied registration for the 2011 municipal elections, Samar Badawi filed a Grievances Board lawsuit against the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs. She participated in the 2011–2012 women's driving campaign. She further assisted women drivers with police and court procedures. In 2012, she received the International Woman of Courage Award and, in September 2015, she received the seventh International Hrant Dink Awards. Samar Badawi is the wife of a lawyer and human rights defender Waleed Abu Al-Khair, who was sentenced on 6 July 2014 to 15 years' imprisonment, and the sister of imprisoned blogger Raif Badawi.
On 12 January, Samar Badawi went to Jeddah Police's Criminal Investigation Section after being summoned by phone on 7 January. She and her two-year-old daughter were then transferred in a police vehicle to the Al Salamah district Police Station, where Samar Badawi was interrogated for four hours. The police officers questioned Samar Badawi about managing the Twitter account of her husband, human rights defender Waleed Abu Al-Khair, who is currently in jail.
Saudi authorities banned Samar Badawi from travelling since December 2014. She has been repeatedly summoned for interrogation by the Saudi police because of her human rights activities.
Front Line Defenders expresses concern at the arrest and detention of Samar Badawi and at the continued targeting of human rights defenders in Saudi Arabia. Front Line Defenders is concerned that the detention of Samar Badawi is solely related to her legitimate exercise of the right of freedom of expression and her human rights work.
On Wednesday, 3 December 2014, human rights defender Samar Badawi was banned from travelling from King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah to attend the EU NGO forum in Brussels, where she had been formally invited. She was informed that the Ministry of the Interior ordered a travel ban against her for an indefinite period.
Samar Badawi's travel ban follows a statement that she delivered at the 27th UN Human Rights Council on 16 September 2014. She advocated for release of her husband and human rights defender Waleed Abu Al-Khair, as well as all other human rights defenders and political prisoners. She spoke against the policies that restrict women's rights to vote and drive. During her short statement, she was interrupted twice by the Saudi Arabian delegation.
