Saudi Arabia delays flogging

Saudi Arabia plans to delay the public flogging of a rights activist on medical grounds, Amnesty International said, raising the possibility that Riyadh may be trying to quietly drop the punishment that has drawn international rebuke.

Raif Badawi, a blogger and founder of the Free Saudi Liberals website, was sentenced last year to 10 years in jail, a fine of 1 million riyals (€235,000), and 1,000 lashes.

Amnesty, which is campaigning for his release, says the lashes were scheduled to be administered over 20 weekly sessions, with 50 lashes each week.

He was arrested in June 2012 for offences which included insulting Islam, cyber crime and disobeying his father — a crime in Saudi Arabia.

Badawi was subjected to the first 50 lashes two weeks ago but a second round of flogging, scheduled to be held last week after Friday prayers was postponed, ostensibly on medical grounds.

Amnesty International said Badawi’s planned flogging will be suspended again after a medical committee assessed that he should not undergo a second round of lashes on health grounds.

“The committee, comprised of around eight doctors, carried out tests on Raif Badawi at the King Fahd Hospital in Jeddah and recommended that the flogging should not be carried out,”an Amnesty statement said.

Political stakes over the case have been heightened by this month’s attack on the Charlie Hebdo newspaper in Paris and its subsequent publication of more cartoons lampooning Islam’s Prophet Mohammad.

The US had called on Riyadh to cancel the sentence of 1,000 lashes.

Amnesty said Badawi was still at risk of flogging despite the medical report, and called on authorities to “publicly announce an end to his flogging”.

“There is no way of knowing whether the Saudi Arabian authorities will disregard the medical advice and allow the flogging to go ahead,” said Amnesty, which also called for the blogger’s immediate and unconditional release, “instead of continuing to torment Raef Badawi by dragging out his ordeal”.

Badawi’s wife and three children have moved to Canada.

Souad al-Shammari, who co-founded the blog with Badawi, was detained in October. Amnesty says the mother of six was arrested after being questioned about comments on Twitter that allegedly mocked religious texts and authorities, and incited Saudi Arabian women to rebel against the male guardianship system that gives men final say over issues like a woman’s ability to travel abroad.

Badawi’s lawyer, Waleed Abul-Khair, is serving a 15-year sentence for “undermining regime officials”, “inciting public opinion”, and “insulting the judiciary”.