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» Saudi Arabia No more lashes. No more jail time
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Saudi Arabia, we're watching
Dear friends,
My alarm went off at 5:00 AM that morning last January.
That was the moment when-over 6,000 miles away-Raif Badawi was scheduled to be publicly flogged in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
I wanted to know if we had succeeded in stopping this vicious act of cruelty or if, as I feared, Raif had received the first 50 of the 1,000 lashes he was sentenced to endure.
He had been flogged.
And while there have been no subsequent floggings since that day in January, Raif is still behind bars - for a simple act of starting a blog that promoted discussion of religion and society. And the flogging could start again on any Friday.
I feel outraged, sickened and frustrated by what is happening to Raif. But I won't give up. The day of his flogging was my moment. Amnesty is my movement.
This month is Amnesty's annual Membership Drive. The time of year when people like you stand up to show your support for human rights. Will you stand up for Raif and make a donation? Your contribution will be matched dollar for dollar by a group of donors until September 30.
When I found out that Raif had been flogged, I could have been paralyzed into inaction by fears that Amnesty had not made a difference. Instead, I went to work so we could mobilize the Urgent Action Network to send emails, petitions, and letters to the Saudi Arabian and U.S. authorities.
Raif hasn't been flogged again, - but that could change at any moment. The Saudi Arabian authorities might be responding to public pressure-or they might just be waiting for the international spotlight to fade. Regardless, we have to build on these incremental steps forward with even more action-we can't let up pressure until Raif's flogging sentence is quashed and he is finally able to walk free.
But we need funding to campaign, which is why our Membership Drive is so important. Please join us and your donation will be matched through the end of this month.
Together, we can ensure that Raif is released. Please help.
Thank you for your commitment to human rights!  Sincerely,
Jasmine Heiss
SENIOR CAMPAIGNER, INDIVIDUALS & COMMUNITIES AT RISK
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL USA |
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