Vigil for Saudi activist Raif Badawi calls for reunification with family in Quebec

MONTREAL – Nearly a week after Saudi activist Raif Badawi’s release from prison, supporters in Montreal called Thursday for him to be allowed to leave Saudi Arabia and rejoin his family in Quebec.

About 30 people held a vigil in downtown Montreal, celebrating news of Badawi’s release last Friday but also pushing for his freedom to travel.

Badawi was released after a decade in prison but is banned from leaving the country for a decade and also faces a $340,000 fine. His wife, Ensaf Haidar, and their three children live in Sherbrooke, Que., east of Montreal.

Paul Ahmarani, an actor and father of two teenage girls, spoke at the vigil and said it is hard to imagine being forcibly separated from those you love for more than 10 years.

Amnesty International’s Canadian francophone branch says there’s a glimmer of hope with next month’s start of Ramadan, which has often been an occasion for royal pardons.

Executive director France-Isabelle Langlois says that while Saudi authorities have said Badawi is barred from leaving, a royal pardon would change that.

But she says the human rights organization doesn’t intend to push the matter and cause problems for Badawi, saying they’ll take their cue from his wife about where to go next.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 17, 2022.