James Zogby, who is a vice-chair of the USCIRF, was not among the volunteers. Zogby is the founder and president of the Arab American Institute. He co-founded and was the chairman of the Palestine Human Rights Campaign in the late 1970s, and served as the Executive Director of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee. Another USCRIF member, the Rev. Thomas J. Reece, was also not a signatory to the letter.
Had these two members participated, then those nine, plus Badawi, would each be allocated 100 lashes apiece, if the Kingdom refused to overturn the punishment and if it took up the Americans on their offer.
A request for clarification about the USCRIF commissioner non-participants remained unanswered when this article was published.
BADAWI ENDURED FIRST 50 LASHES ON JAN. 9
Badawi received the first 50 lashes of his punishment in a public square on Jan. 9. He was supposed to undergo the second round of lashes last Friday, but according to a family spokesperson, that had to be delayed.
Elham Manea said that local doctors in Jiddah determined Badawi could not withstand the 50 lashes scheduled for Friday, according to a report in a Canadian paper. She also said that Badawi’s punishment won’t likely go ahead for several weeks.
“The authorities conducted a very thorough medical examination and they came to the conclusion that he is not fit at all to be flogged, not this Friday, and it seems also not the following Fridays,” Manea said.
The death of Saudi King Abdullah is not expected to make a difference in terms of the Kingdom’s position on flogging or on the sentence imposed on Badawi. The new king, King Salmon, was very close ideologically to Abdullah and it is expected that his reign will be one that continues with the dead king’s positions.