Ensaf Haidar
| Insaf Haider إنصاف حيدر | |
|---|---|
 Ensaf Haidar, speaking in 2015. | |
| Born | 1985 (age 30–31) |
| Residence | Quebec, Canada |
| Nationality |
 Saudi Canadian |
| Occupation | Human rights activist |
| Spouse(s) | Raef Badawi (2001 - ) |
Ensaf Haidar (Arabic: إنصاف حيدر; born 1985), is a Saudi Arabian-Canadian human rights activist. She is the wife of Raif Badawi[1] and campaigns for his freedom. She is the president of the Raif Badawi Foundation for Freedom, which campaigns for freedom of speech and human rights awareness in the Arab world.[2]
Personal life
She married Badawi in Saudi Arabia in 2001 and began his case this after directing harsh criticism against the religious establishment through articles and media interviews, which angered radical Saudi clerics, including Abdul-Rahman al-Barrak, Saudi religious scholar, and former member of the teaching body of Imam Muhammad bin Saud Islamic University.
After her husband was imprisoned, she and her family fled to Canada.
Arrest of Raef Badawi
She noted that Barrak issued a fatwa against Badawi, accusing him of apostasy and incited the population to kill him. He was arrested on June 12, 2012. She left Saudi Arabia with her children as soon as the fatwa atone for her husband, months before his arrest, Haidar traveled to Canada, where she remained. She stated, "I was afraid for my life and the lives of my children, We moved to Lebanon, and then we moved to Canada immediately after his arrest, where we got a permit to establish a temporary residence". She gave birth to two daughters and a son, and her husband told her in a phone call that his morale was high.
Campaign
She agrees with her husband about the need to cancel the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice Department, describing it as religious police. International bodies and human rights organizations demanded the release of the Saudi activist immediately out of respect for freedom of opinion.
Sakharov Prize
On 15 December 2015, she accepted the European Union's Sakharov Prize on behalf of her husband.[3]
See also
References
- ↑ "Jailed Saudi blogger Raif Badawi wins Pen Pinter prize". 6 October 2015. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
- ↑ "The Raif Badawi Foundation for Freedom". The Raif Badawi Foundation. Retrieved 2016-03-31.
- ↑ "Sakharov Prize award ceremony: 'Raif Badawi was brave enough to say no to their barbarity'". 16 December 2015. Retrieved 5 May 2016.