Blogger Raif Badawi has gained ?international attention in recent weeks as his encounters with the ?Saudi regime have spurred outrage.
Well, outrage may be a strong word.
As the Guardian reported last week, “The U.S., Britain and other western governments had all called for the punishment to be dropped, but there has been no sign of any ?diplomatic action against Riyadh.”
One would think Western ?authorities would take a stronger stance against governments trying to silence their citizens.
The case in question is not ?unheard of, unfortunately.
Mr. Badawi is a liberal blogger who set up a website seeking to create a higher level of political and social ?discourse.
Badawi himself often wrote about his desire to see a freer press and his concern about a religious state.
These writings and website landed him a draconian sentence of 10 years in prison and 1,000 lashes to be spread over 20 weeks.
Following the first round of ?lashes, Badawi’s wife pleaded with the ?international community to pressure the Saudi government for his release.
International organizations and media outlets spoke out, protests of average citizens were formed ?worldwide, governments made half-hearted attempts to stop the sentence and even the Saudi people began voicing their opinion, albeit with some ?caution.
Now the Editorial Board is ?jumping in on the action, and it is our belief that this harsh sentence should be dropped.
On Friday, the Guardian reported Badawi’s second round of lashes was being postponed after the Saudi King Abdullah stepped in and referred the case to the country’s ?Supreme Court.
Bawadi’s wife, along with many who were calling for the sentence to be lifted, expressed hope that with continued pressure, the government of Saudi Arabia will release him.
In the eyes of the Editorial Board, this raises a much larger question: could Saudi Arabia be an example of why engaging countries with a history of human rights abuses leads to progress?
And if this engagement can allow for change in Saudi Arabia, why can’t it do the same in Cuba or Iran?
The United States and United Kingdom governments didn’t even have to take real action — at least publicly — against Saudi Arabia.
All that was needed for King Abdullah to begin walking the ?penalty back was a public statement from governments and openness to the ?international community.
The rest was taken care of by the press and the people.
Sure, Iran and Cuba have long been more hostile to Western ?influence than the Saudi Kingdom, and the Saudi Kingdom has the natural incentive to cooperate with their vast oil reserves, so they cannot and should not be considered equal ?circumstances.
But we have seen that when we cooperate with countries — even those with vast cultural and political ?differences — progress can be made.
And we have seen that when ?isolation is our policy, it only breeds ?resentment and rivalry.
It might take time, but Saudi Arabia and the Raif Badawi case is yet ?another example of why global ?engagement should be preferable to sanctions and isolation.
