If he is eventually granted Canadian citizenship — which is up to his family — blogger Raif Badawi could finally be reunited with his wife and children, who have lived in Sherbrooke for nearly a decade.
Sentenced to 10 years in prison and 1,000 lashes by the Saudi monarchy for posting political and religious views on his blog, Mr. Badawi is still detained in Saudi Arabia, although he is no longer a prisoner.
Martin Alary / QMI Agency
Canada’s Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, however, assured his family that he would be repatriated to the country and that he would personally pick him up.
“It’s empty words. He made a lot of promises where he said he was with us as he also had three children and understood that he couldn’t live without them. [Depuis ce moment, nous nous sommes aperçus qu’il ne faisait pas grand-chose pour que notre père à nous revienne», a indiqué la fille du blogueur Najwa Badawi.
Martin Alary / QMI Agency
Elected members of Parliament and members of the Senate passed a motion to grant Mr. Badawi Canadian citizenship, but nothing has changed in the government on the file since last year.
For eight years, directors Luc Cote and Patricio Henriquez follow Mr. Badawi’s wife, Ensaf Haider, as she struggles to free her husband. The documentary “Waiting for Raif” will hit theaters on November 4.
A debate over Halloween costumes fired up Friday night’s debaters, who fired some spikes at each other. Crying out for “Nikonphobia”, Sophie Durocher first protested against the Order of Nurses campaign aimed at raising public awareness of the unhealthy romanticisation of nurses’ costumes. “We are tired of priests telling us how to dress, what to think, what to do, what to eat and what to drink,” she marveled a little later in this discussion.
Martin Alary / QMI Agency
“Among adults, you’re not forbidden to dress up as a cowboy or an Indian, we judge you,” Judith Lussier exclaims in her first appearance on the show.
Eric Duhaime, leader of the Conservative Party of Quebec (PCQ), also accepted the invitation issued by Stéphane Bureau. He essentially returned to his campaign, which he saw as half-success rather than half-failure. Among other things, he mentioned the current tensions and infighting in his party. He is also due to meet with his members on Saturday to redefine the future of the PCQ.
Martin Alary / QMI Agency
“Next time it will be very different, because first we will have time, which we do not have, we did all this in one year. There, we have four years before us to organize and professionally and we will have resources,” he told the host.
For his part, pediatrician Jean-Francois Chicoine, who is interested in the effects of separation on children in the documentary series “One Week Out of 2,” talks about the occupancy rate on the show’s set. The emergency room of CHU Sainte-Justine is currently very high. He also explained the difficulties the organization faces in recruiting and retaining health care workers. A more glaring reality in Montreal, especially given the difficulty of mobility and high cost of living there.
Martin Alary / QMI Agency
Guy Nantel and Biz complete the quartet of debaters, while Pierre Brassard is the guest for the week.
Martin Alary / QMI Agency
The program “Le monde à l’envers” is broadcast live every Friday at 8 p.m.
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