Stuck in Saudi Arabia since his release from prison in March 2022, the former Saudi blogger Raïf Badawi has lost hope of one day finding his family in Quebec, believes his wife.
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At a table in a restaurant in Sherbrooke, Ensaf Haidar tries to stay positive and strong as she has always been since her husband’s imprisonment. But it is with a tremolo in her voice that she speaks of her Raïf, under a travel ban until 2032.
“He lost hope for real. He dropped everything. He lives day by day,” she says.
“For him, she adds, 2032 is still a long way off. He sees the present and right now he has no hope. It was the same when he was in prison. He was to be released on January 28 and he remained there until March 11.
Raif Badawi was imprisoned in June 2012 and sentenced to 1,000 lashes for “insulting” Islam on his Free Saudi Liberals website, a tool used to campaign for the moral liberalization of Saudi Arabia.
His family left the country and obtained political asylum in Canada in 2013. Mme Haidar and their three children have been happy Canadian citizens since the summer of 2018.
- Listen to the interview with Ensaf Haidar, wife of Raif Badawi on Sophie Durocher’s show broadcast live via QUB-radio :
Significant absence
Ensaf Haidar fought for a long time for her freedom and the possibility of one day finding Raïf Badawi. She did not give up. Even though her life is not perfect and complete, she wants to stay positive because her husband is alive.
“If I imagined a perfect life, I would be separated. The important thing for me is that he is alive, she breathes. It is now free, but not quite. Because he can’t leave the country. His freedom is controlled. Maybe that’s why he lost all hope. The prison also left its mark.
Mme Haidar says her husband is still scared at home. Forced to keep quiet and banned from using social media, he still fears that his “freedom” will be taken away from him.
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Ensaf Haidar
Among the many consequences of his incarceration, he is not able to find work. People recognize him and know his name. He is singled out as the person “who spoke”. He is still on trial publicly.
“It’s like a life sentence. He manages to live with the help of friends. Mentally and physically, he is not ready to work, believes Ms. Haidar. He must take his time to integrate into daily life and rebuild himself.
Raïf Badawi is however well connected to his family in Quebec, whom he manages to reach several times a day. He can thus see his children, Najwa, Tirad and Miriyam, grow up and perceive the North American lifestyle.
The children obviously miss their father and have suffered from his absence. “He’s not there to drop them off or pick them up from school. He is not there for sports matches, for shows and everything, ”lists Mme Haidar.
Changes?
When she hears and reads that Saudi Arabia has changed, she can’t help but lower her eyes. Hidden behind certain permissions, including access to driving for women and sources of entertainment, freedoms are still flouted there.
“I would like to see real changes and not just for the image. Currently, equities mean nothing to me when they buy athletes and artists to convey their messages. That’s not the change,” she says, well aware of the astronomical contract of $ 200 million annually signed by soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo with the Al Nassr club.
Has she lost hope of one day hugging Raif and seeing Saudi Arabia open up for the right reasons? “Sometimes yes, sometimes no. If we really wanted changes. They would have already happened.”
Money rules the world
Two Quebec women who have relatives stuck in Saudi Arabia deplore the fact that this country invests billions of dollars in sports to whitewash its reputation and gain power.
The subject comes up again this week on the occasion of the Masters Tournament where 18 golfers from the LIV circuit, Golf richly financed by the Saudi regime, join their former colleagues from the PGA circuit.
Maneuvers that do not pass in the eyes of Raïf Badawi’s spouse, Ensaf Haidar, and Quebecer Johanne Durocher, whose daughter married a Saudi in the early 2000s.
“You really see that money rules the world. [Certains sportifs] help the Saudi government to project a good image,” laments Mr.me Durocher, who has not seen his daughter in the flesh since 2009 due to a travel ban imposed on his grandchildren.
faux pas
“It is annoying to see what is happening. When someone chooses money, he is not an ambassador for human rights and freedom of opinion,” thunders Ensaf Haidar.
About ten days ago, the last enlisted member of the LIV Golf circuit, Thomas Pieters, spouted several falsehoods in addition to lacking tact with regard to the victims of the Saudi regime.
“It’s just golf, it’s not life and death,” said the 31-year-old Belgian, a guest on Barstool Sports’ Fore Play podcast.