Shifts in punishment.

Social movement worldwide against flogging in Saudi Arabia

Punishments were given to the traitors and offenders in older times categorized in corporal and capital
punishments. But with the passage of time and industrialization punishments evolved into smoother
way and less brutal. England, France, Germany and even America had very brutal and cruel system of
punishments including sawing the person from the middle, boiling the person in a big pot, crushing the
head, beheading, cutting hands, flogging, putting rats on a wounded person and so on.

In 20th century after United nations came into existence countries made and signed and agreement to
reduce these barbaric and inhuman punishments from their law. That united nation convention is called
United nations convention against torture (UNCAT). On the other hand, Muslim majority countries are
strictly following the sharia laws (Islamic rules made by prophet for the offenders) which majorly
includes cutting of hands-on theft, Lashes or flogging on the sin of adultery however less severe for
unmarried and severe for married and varies in intensity. Countries like Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Iran,
Sudan, Malaysia, Indonesia, and so on are still following those sharia laws for sins and crimes.

It looks different in west, but it is completely okay with Muslims because it is their believe that their
Koran is still the same holy book as It was revealed however toraat and other holy books are edited by
people for the sake of their own interest.

From the chapter 2 of book Are prisons obsolete? Angela Y. Davis has mentioned in the book that in
older times slaves were used to beat with or without reason because people were poor to defend
themselves. White people used to import them from Africa into Europe and America and start their
barbarism on them. African black people were used for almost all house chores but majorly they were
used to work in robust environments into the fields. Because in those times countries were agrarian
societies and white people frequently catch the diseases when they worked in harsh environments.
Because of this inequality between black and white, slave and lord their laws and punishments were
also different for both, stricter for black for obvious reasons (Angela Y. Davis 2003).

However, Muslims on the other hand in middle east were starting to free their slaves because of their
religious teachings widely spreading. But their punishments for offenders were getting stricter. Flogging
was the least severe among them (Most barbaric these days). This is the reason many Muslim countries
are following sharia punishments in their legal system. As, Saudi Arabia was the hub and flag bearer of
Islam, so it had to follow those rules in 21 st century as well (Jabir 1998).

Saudi Arab is one the few remnant of monarchies in the world. To maintain their monarchy, they
suppress any kind of potential revolt or the source of revolt more than immediate which includes many
cases killing the journalists, writers, social activists, ambassadors and so on. They also pay high wages to
their employees including no or least tax system and inflation so that no one in the public get bored
from their rulers and start mutinies. There was one of the most prominent cases of Raid Badawi, who
was a Saudi writer and blogger. He started his website with the name of “Free Saudi Liberals” which
included the conversation and awareness of the rights to live in Saudi Arabia. He believed people in
Saudi Arabia have rights to choose their own religion and there is no logic behind it that only Muslims
can live in Saudi Arabia unlike in the times of Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him. But Saudi officials
find it inciting the people of Arabia against Islam and against the kingdom they started to interrogate the
writer. But found nothing against him. Later, he was interrogated multiple times along with raids on his
house to find any evidence any book or any source which prove him anti-Islam or anti kingdom.

Liberalism itself is considered apostasy in Saudi Arabia while Badawi was one of them to openly talk
about liberalism in his blogs he further added about women rights, why women need a guardian to walk
on the streets? why she cannot drive? Why cannot she get access to labor market and employment? But
he never directly criticized Muttawa (religious police). These posts in his blog were enough to get him
arrested in Saudi Arabia.

Finally in June 2012 Badawi was arrested on the charges of ridiculing the Islam, Disobedience to
kingdom and apostasy. However, when Badawi was appeared in court he witnessed the Shahadat which
compel the courts to drop apostasy charges. So, he was sentenced to seven years in prison and 600
lashes for the offense of ridiculing Islam and founding a website which incite the liberalism in Saudi
Arabia. After that website was also banned in Saudi Arabia.

Saudi officials were not satisfied because he was not charged of apostasy so they wanted him to retry in
front of court for the apostasy charges which means punishment will be death sentence. His wife
reported to CNN and asked international channels for help. She herself took refuge in Canada along with
her three daughters. Marc Garneau and Irwin Cotler Canadian politicians decided to help Ensaf Haider
wife of Badawi. Representative of UN human rights council Kacem El Ghazzali also criticized the decision
of Saudi courts. Badawi’s lawyer was also imprisoned for 15 years in jail and 15 years travel ban for
creating a human rights organization in Saudi Arabia specifically for Badawi.

Now the case had become international and public which created a huge pressure in Saudi officials. In
January 2015 Badawi was lashed first time with 50 lashes out of 1000 lashes from his punishment
publicly outside a mosque which created great anger among the national and international public. It was
a burning issue and hot headlines of news channels. Amnesty international condemned the Saudi’s act
of brutality by calling it the violation of international law. Prince of Jorden condemned it and requested
to Saudi king to forgive the prisoner and ban this brutal punishment in the kingdom.

Worldwide protest emerged outside the Saudi embassies in favor of the Raif Badawi which majorly
includes the embassies of Norway and London. Protests were not the only thing to pressurize the Saudi
officials but there were letters to the officials by the officials of the countries, Twitter trends, Hashtags,
protests, petitions, and social media activities. 18 Noble laurates signed the petition and said if letter is
disregarded, they will not work with Saudis academically. Amnesty international signed the petition
along with 800,000 signatories. 67 members of congress of USA sent letters to Saudi prince. On the
same day South Africa’s archbishop sent a letter to King Salman for his release. Individuals including
businesspersons and journalist from Ireland and Germany also sent letters to King Salman. When
Economic minster of Germany visited the Saudi royalties, He tried to influence them with his economical
ties with Saudi Arabia, but Saudis refused to take any action by declaring it as an internal affair and
asked them to not interfere in its internal affairs.

Because of this international pressure Badawi case was rolling up and down from district courts to
supreme courts and postponement of the next round of lashes. The punishment of lashes was
postponed multiple times after the international response. During those years King Salman declared his
son as the heir to the throne Muhammad bin Salman.
Muhammad bin Salman himself is of views to modernize the Saudi Arabia. He announced that he will
end the punishment of flogging in Saudi Arabia in 2020. But Raif Badawi is still in prison waiting for his
release (AFP 2020).

Conclusion
This is the era of social media where twitter has power to overthrow the governments. Flogging was a
harsh punishment from centuries but Raif Badawi case with its social movement including protests and
political pressure on Saudi Arabia had compelled the royals to end the brutal punishment. These efforts
were significant and successful by influencing the rulers and public against the inhuman punishments
and at last Saudis shifted the punishment from death penalties, flogging to imprisonment and hefty
fines.