Bambi just read that Ms. Ensaf Haidar will be seeking the Bloc Québecois (BQ) nomination in Sherbrooke (Québec). Wow and best wishes to Ms. Haidar!
As for the BQ, this party has been playing an excellent opposition role in Ottawa. Bravo to Mr. Blanchet and his team for standing up for freedom of expression.
Ms. Ensaf Haidar is Mr. Raif’s Badawi’s spouse. The latter is in jail in Saudi Arabia. In an earlier post, Bambi described how he was “sentenced to 1000 lashes, a 10 year sentence, and a fine of 200,000 Saudi Arabian riyals (CAD $69,381). Even if he gets out of jail, he cannot leave his country to join his family in Sherbrooke, PQ, Canada for at least 10 years. His kids are growing up without him nearby. He and his spouse have not seen each other for God knows how long. All this because he was accused of blasphemy“.
Well, this story is reminding Bambi of Mr. William Sampson who sadly passed away in England in 2012, according to the National Post (https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/william-sampson-dead-canadian-survived-prison-torture-in-saudi-arabia). As per Radio-Canada and many other media (https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/114050/sampson-torture), the BQ helped free Mr. Sampson from jail (along with the UK, as he held the double citizenship). A BQ party member even travelled to Saudi Arabia and met with him in jail. Tragically, Mr. Sampson was accused of false yet very serious accusations. He even suffered from torture, but thankfully he survived his ordeal. He spent the last ten years of his free life clearing his name.
To conclude this post, may Mr. Sampson rest in peace. May the BQ continue to stand up for freedom of expression in Canada. May Ms. Haidar and her children be finally reunited with Mr. Badawi. It is about time for this innocent dad to find himself where he belongs that is with his family, in their beautiful Sherbrooke (Québec) and among us all in Canada.
