Raif Badawi, suffering a cruel sentence for his fight for democratic rights, has been awarded for his bravery with the European Parliament's prize for Freedom of Thought.

Saudi Arabian blogger hailed Sakharov laureate 2015

https://api.multimedia.europarl.europa.eu/documents/20125/12123182/n006-151029-001-en.srt

This year the Conference of Presidents  would like to award the Sakharov Prize

to the Saudi Arabian blogger Raif Badawi.

I would like to add, because of the  extraordinary situation Mr Badawi is in,

who has been given one of the cruellest  sentences in the country,

which objectively can only be described  as brutal torture.

I hereby urge the King of Saudi Arabia  to pardon to Mr Badawi immediately

and to release him  so that he can take the prize.