Samar Badawi

Cases
Location of case in SG report
2019-091-001
Relevant SG report
Year of the report
2019
Country Geolocation

Latitude: 23.885942

Longitude: 45.079162

Country Geolocation (linked Cases)
Saudi Arabia
From Region
UN body that raised the case prior to the SG report
  • Assistant Secretary-General
  • UN Special Procedures: Thematic
Dates of prior UN action
8 February 2019; 9 April 2019
Type of record
Named individual
Gender
Female
Was the victim a foreign national?
No
Was the victim a minor?
No
Individual's/organization's activity

had cooperated with the United Nations and were being held in Dhabban prison in Jeddah

Type of rights defended
  • Unclear in SG Report
Was the victim a civil servant or member of the security forces or of the judiciary?
No
Reported trigger of reprisal

had cooperated with the United Nations and were being held in Dhabban prison in Jeddah

Engagement with UN body
  • Unclear
Dates of engagement
Unclear
Type of attempted engagement
  • Unclear
Dates of mentioned reprisals
Unclear
Location of mentioned reprisals
Jeddah
Reprisal information

raised concerns about reports of detention, torture, sexual harassment and ill-treatment including in the form of gender-based violence committed against them.

Types of reprisals suffered
  • Detention/Imprisonment: Detention/Imprisonment - General
  • Physical attack: Rape/sexual aggression
  • Physical attack: Torture/Cruel, inhuman, degrading treatment
Alleged/likely perpetrators
State actors
Was the reprisal based on new legislation?
No
Does the report make general comment about country’s environment for engagement with UN?
No
Was the case raised by a State at the UN?
Yes
Which State raised the case at the UN and when?

BENELUX raised the case in June 2020 at the 43rd resumed session of the Human Rights Council under item 5: “We are concerned about the following cases of intimidation and reprisals: – Ms. Samar Badawi and Ms. Loujain Al-Hathloul, women human rights defenders from Saudi Arabia who engaged with the UPR and CEDAW.”

Finland raised the case in September 2020 at the 45th session of the Human Rights Council under item 4: “The prolonged detentions of human rights defenders in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, including Loujain Al-Hathloul, Samar Badawi, Nassima Al-Sadah, and Nouf Abdulaziz, raise concern. We remain deeply concerned about the persisting traditions of discrimination of women and girls and urge Saudi Arabia to take further actions for gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls, for example by abolishing the guardianship system.”

BENELUX raised the case again in March 2021 at the 46th session of the Human Rights Council under item 5: “We would like to follow up on unresolved cases related to HRC engagement previously raised in our statements in 2019 and 2020. These include: Samar Badawi from Saudi Arabia.”

Is the country cited for a "pattern of reprisal" in the context of this case?
No
Is a pattern of reprisals mentioned otherwise in the context of this case?
No
Does the report cite "self-censorship" as an issue in the context of this case?
No
How many times has the case been followed up in subsequent SG reports?
3
In which SG report was this case followed up on? 0
2020
Follow up information provided in SG report 0
  1. The case of Ms. Samar Badawi was included in the 2015 and 2019 reports of the Secretary-General on allegations of threats and interrogations following her statement at the Human Rights Council in 2014 75 (A/HRC/30/29, para. 36 and A/HRC/42/30, para. 73–74, Annex I, para. 91, and Annex II, para. 95). 76 It was reported to OHCHR that Ms. Badawi appeared before the Criminal Court in Riyadh on 27 June 2019, without legal representation, for the first time since her arrest in July 2018. Throughout the subsequent trial, Ms. Badawi’s hearings have been regularly postponed. She had been scheduled to attend a hearing on 18 March 2020, but that and further hearing dates have been indefinitely postponed due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Prosecutors have reportedly called for the maximum penalty under article 6 of the Cybercrime Law and pursuing the following charges: “undermining public order, religious values, good morals and private life” and “communicating with journalists, UN human rights bodies and human rights organisations” and other groups described as “hostile to the state.”
Followup Trends 0
Deterioration/further reprisals
Did the government respond? 0
No
In which SG report was this case followed up on? 1
2021
Follow up information provided in SG report 1
  1. The case of Ms. Samar Badawi was included in the 2020, 2019 and 2015 reports of the Secretary-General231 on allegations of threats and interrogations following her statement at the Human Rights Council in 2014. Ms. Badawi was arrested in July 2018 and appeared for the first time before the Criminal Court in Riyadh on 27 June 2019, without legal representation. Prosecutors have reportedly requested the maximum penalty under article 6 of the Cybercrime Law and pursued charges of “undermining public order, religious values, good morals and private life” and “communicating with journalists, UN human rights bodies and human rights organisations” and other groups described as “hostile to the state.”
  2. On 2 June 2020 and 20 May 2021, special procedures mandate holders addressed Ms. Badawi’s case. They expressed concern at her prolonged detention without sufficient legal basis (SAU 8/2020) and reported that a trial session was scheduled on 25 November 2020, the outcome of which remained unknown (SAU 3/2021). On 7 August 2020, the Government responded stating that allegations are inaccurate and based entirely on unfounded and unsubstantiated information; it provided information about Ms. Badawi’s conditions of detention and access to medical care.232 On 26 June 2021, Ms. Badawi was reportedly released from prison following the completion of her sentence.
Followup Trends 1
Improvement
Date of follow up 1
2 June 2020, 20 May 2021
Did the government respond? 1
Yes
In which SG report was this case followed up on? 2
2022
Follow up information provided in SG report 2
  1. The case of Ms. Samar Badawi, a woman human rights defender, was included in the 2015, 2019, 2020 and 2021 reports of the Secretary-General176 on allegations of threats and interrogations following her statement at the Human Rights Council in 2014 and in relation to her arrest and detention in 2018, charges and release on probation on 2021. Special procedures mandate holders have addressed her situation repeatedly with the relevant authorities, including allegations of acts of reprisals for her cooperation with the UN.177
Followup Trends 2
Stayed same
Date of follow up 2
20 May 2021, 30 November 2021
Did the government respond? 2
Yes
Was this case followed up by a UN body? 2
  • UN Special Procedures: Thematic
  • UN Special Procedures: UN Special Procedures - General