Montreal grants honorary citizenship to jailed Saudi blogger Raif Badawi
MONTREAL — The City of Montreal made Saudi blogger Raif Badawi an honorary citizen on Monday, voting unanimously to award the distinction to the father of three who has been languishing in jail for nearly six years.
A ceremony attended by Mayor Valerie Plante took place without the blogger’s wife present.
Plante explained a scheduling snafu prevented Ensaf Haidar from attending the brief ceremony, but Haidar was in the spectators’ gallery later when councillors voted to grant the citizenship.
Coun. Marvin Rotrand, who had presented the motion alongside the opposition Ensemble Montreal, said he is hopeful the vote will carry the weight necessary to get other cities to add their support and keep up pressure to get Badawi freed.