Raif Badawi

Raif Badawi is a writer from Saudi Arabia. He created a website called 'Free Saudi Liberals' where people could share their thoughts. Imagine a big online playground for ideas! But sometimes, sharing ideas can be tricky, and Raif found himself in a difficult situation because of what he wrote.

In 2012, Raif was arrested. He was accused of saying things that insulted a religion. He was put on trial and sentenced to prison and also to be whipped. This means he was to receive many painful hits with a whip. The first time this happened, he received 50 lashes, which is like getting 50 hard pats on the back, but much more painful.

Raif was supposed to receive many more lashes over many weeks. But his health wasn't good, and he had high blood pressure, like when you run too fast and your heart beats really hard. Because he was sick, the whipping was stopped. His wife, Ensaf, worried he wouldn't survive if it continued. She worked hard to tell people about his situation.

After 10 long years in prison, Raif was finally let go in March 2022! This is like finishing a really, really long school year. However, he still can't leave his country for another 10 years. This is called a travel ban. It means he has to stay in Saudi Arabia for a long time, even though he is out of jail.