The mayor of the city of Montreal will ask his council to pass a motion condemning the flogging of Saudi blogger Raif Badawi and asking that he be sent to the Canadian province of Quebec.
Badawi’s wife and three children sought asylum and now live in the province. She has been campaigning hard to try to win her husband’s release from a jail in Saudi Arabia.
Badawi was said to have criticized Islam on an internet blog and was sentenced to 10 years in prison and 1,000 lashes to be given 50 at a time each week. He was first flogged on January 9, but the six subsequent whippings have been postponed.
Mayor Denis Coderre wants his city council to pass a motion condemning his detention and asking the Canadian government to lobby for Badawi’s release. That would add to the decision by provincial legislators to ask the governments of Quebec and Canada to do everything they can to secure his release.
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