Prince Charles raises flogging case with Saudi king

Riyadh: The Prince of Wales offered new hope to the liberal writer ordered to be given 1,000 lashes in Saudi Arabia by intervening in his case with the royal family in Riyadh.

The Prince touched down in the Saudi capital on Tuesday for one of the most politically sensitive visits of his time as heir to the throne. Saudi Arabia is in the midst of huge political changes following the death of King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz last month.

The British government is keen to promote security cooperation with Saudi Arabia in the fight against youth radicalisation and the militant Daesh group, a current theme of the Prince. But human rights groups also complained vociferously about the tributes paid to the late king in Britain, and were demanding the Prince raise human rights issues, especially the flogging and ten-year sentence handed down to Raef Badawi, 31, who criticised the religious establishment online.

The Prince rarely discusses his private conversations with other members of the Royal family. However, he is visiting at the request of the UK Government because of his close ties to the Saudi royal family, and he was accompanied by senior Foreign Office officials.

‘Friendly response’

The Government has already raised Badawi’s case, and a source said it was raised by the Prince during his meeting with senior Saudi royals, and that he received a “friendly response”.

The intervention will raise hopes for Badawi’s family, including his wife and children who are now living in Canada, that the stay ordered on his flogging since he received the first batch of 50 in Jeddah a month ago would be made permanent.

So far, health reasons have been cited for not handing out any more. Amnesty International welcomed the intervention.

“This is of course very encouraging and very welcome news,” said Kate Allen, Amnesty UK’s director. “We still need the UK government to do more on Raef’s case — including specifically calling for him to be released — but Charles’ diplomatic intercession could help secure this man’s freedom.”

The Prince had his longest private meeting with Crown Prince Muqrin Bin Abdul Aziz, now the formal heir to the throne, and seen as a supporter of King Abdullah’s reforms. On Wednesday he was to be escorted around the historic site of Al Ula, in northern Saudi Arabia, by Prince Sultan Bin Salman, who as well as being son of the king and the tourism minister was also in his earlier days a scientist and the Muslim world’s first astronaut.