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Saudi Blogger Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison, 1000 Lashes

Categories: Saudi Arabia, Middle East & North Africa, Advocacy, Free Expression, Human Rights, Legal Threats, Threatened Voices, Violent Threats

On 7 May, a criminal court in Jeddah sentenced blogger Raif Badawi to ten years in prison and a thousand lashes for “insulting Islam”. Badawi was prosecuted for developing “Saudi Arabian Liberals”, an online forum he launched in 2008 debating the role of religion in the conservative kingdom.

The 32-year-old was also ordered to pay a one million riyals fine (approximately US$266,600).

The verdict is subject to appeal. But Badawi's lawyer, Waleed Abu al-Khair [1], has also been jailed for setting up a human rights monitoring group, according to Human Rights Watch.

Raif [2]
Arrested in June 2012 and tried in July 2013, Badawi originally was sentenced to six years in prison and 600 lashes. In December 2013, an appeals court overturned the initial verdict [3] and referred the case back to the Jeddah Criminal Court.

On his website, Badawi and other contributors posted articles critical of Saudi religious authorities and declared May 7 a day for Saudi liberals.

Jail over a forum that welcomed everyone to debate and present their arguments for discussion. Since when prison changes thought?

Raif criticized a double-standard society and called for humanity and respect for the other's opinion. If this is a crime, then I declare myself a criminal

Prosecutors had previously charged Badawi with apostasy, a charge which could carry a death penalty in the Saudi kingdom.