January 10, 2015 – A Saudi Arabian activist and blogger, Mr. Raif Badawi has been subjected to 50 lashes of the cane in a public square in front of al-Jafali Mosque in Jeddah, for insulting Islam and for creating a website for public discussion.
He has 950 more strokes of the cane to endue at the rate of 50 lashes per week.
Badawi was sentenced to 10 years in prison, 1,000 lashes and a fine of 1 million Saudi Arabian riyals (about US$266,600) last year for creating an online forum for public debate and accusations that he insulted Islam.
The full sentence of 1,000 lashes will be carried out over a period of 20 weeks.
“It is appalling that 19 weeks of flogging await Raif Badawi over the coming months. Saudi Arabia’s authorities must act immediately to halt all further floggings,” said Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa, Said Boumedouha.
An eye witness told Amnesty International (AI) Badawi was removed from a bus in shackles and brought to the public square in front of the mosque.
“Surrounded by a crowd made up of the public and a number of security officers, he received 50 consecutive lashes. The whole ordeal lasted around 15 minutes. Afterwards he was put back in the bus and taken away”, AI said.
Reacting to the development, AI said the flogging is a vicious act of cruelty which is prohibited under international law.
“By ignoring international calls to cancel the flogging Saudi Arabia’s authorities have demonstrated an abhorrent disregard for the most basic human rights principles. Raif Badawi is a prisoner of conscience; his only ‘crime’ was to exercise his right to freedom of expression by setting up a website for public discussion. He must be immediately and unconditionally released,” AI said.
