Raif Badawi freed from Saudi prison

The Quebec family of Saudi blogger Raif Badawi has confirmed he has been released from Saudi prison, 10 years after he was jailed for criticizing religious figures and promoting liberal views of Islam.

"After 10 years in prison, Raif is free!" Ensaf Haidar, Badawi's wife, tweeted, Friday.

Haidar, who lives in Sherbrooke, Que., with her three children, has been fighting for her husband's release for the past decade.

Badawi's family had been anticipating his release, as his 10-year sentence had been served in full as of Feb. 28.

Following his arrest in 2012, Badawi was also sentenced to 1,000 lashes and a fine of 1 million Saudi Arabian riyal, or about $340,000 Cdn. 

Badawi's case made international headlines when he was whipped 50 times in public, and the remainder of the lashings were suspended following international outcry.

A spokesperson for the human rights organization Amnesty International said the conditions of Badawi's release were not yet clear. In a tweet, the organization's branch for the Gulf region welcomed the news but repeated its demand that a travel ban imposed on Badawi by the Saudi government be lifted, to allow him to join his family in Canada. 

Quebec political figures celebrated the news of Badawi's release.

"Finally! I can't stop thinking about his children who will finally see their father again," Quebec Premier François Legault wrote on Twitter. 

Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, the Bloc Québécois immigration and human rights critic, called it "extraordinary news."

"I am happy to see him liberated," said Brunelle-Duceppe, who introduced a motion in the House of Commons last June in favour of granting Badawi Canadian citizenship, which was adopted unanimously.

"I offer our wholehearted collaboration to Ensaf Haidar and her family," he added.

Conservative foreign affairs critic Michael Chong also welcomed the news, underlining Canada's responsibility to protect basic freedoms.

"As human rights are being attacked across the world, it's even more important that Canada defends the protection of human rights against threats from authoritarian states," Chong said.