Saudi Blogger Sentenced To 1,000 Lashes May Now Face Death Penalty

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Saudi Blogger Sentenced To 1,000 Lashes May Now Face Death Penalty

Raif Badawi the Saudi Arabian blogger who was sentenced to 1,000 lashes for ‘insulting Islam’ could now face the death penalty, his wife has revealed.

Badawi hit headlines earlier this year when he was handed the sentence which prompted international condemnation.

Following the first beating  on January 9 this year, punishment was paused when doctors ruled that a week later his wounds had not healed sufficiently for him to face another round of flogging.

The Independent reports: Mr Badawi’s wife, Ensaf Haidar, told The Independent in a series of messages that judges in Saudi Arabia’s criminal court want him to undergo a re-trial for apostasy. If found guilty, he would face a death sentence.

She said the “dangerous information” had come from “official sources” inside the conservative kingdom, where Mr Badawi has already been sentenced to 10 years in prison and 1,000 lashes – administered at a rate of 50 per week – for criticising the country’s clerics through his liberal blog.

In 2013, a judge threw out the charge of apostasy against the 31-year-old blogger after he assured the court that he was a Muslim. The evidence against him had included the fact that he pressed the “Like” button on a Facebook page for Arab Christians.

The news that the charge may now be re-examined will come as a bitter blow to Mr Badawi’s family and supporters, who had hoped that the international pressure over his case would prompt Saudi Arabia to reduce his sentence.

Although he remains in prison, he has only been flogged once since his sentence was passed, with subsequent punishments being repeatedly postponed.

Please sign the petition to help Ensaf Haidar free her husband. Click HERE

 

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