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Amnesty: Saudi activist faces lashes in public square

Credit: Amnesty International

A Saudi Arabian activist, who is in prison for creating an online forum for public debate and insulting Islam, will be flogged in public after Friday prayers according to Amnesty International.

Raif Badawi was sentenced to ten years in prison, 1,000 lashes and a fine of one million Saudi Arabian riyals last year.

He is expected to receive up to 50 lashes tomorrow, while the rest of the 1,000 lashes will be carried out over a period of 20 weeks.

It is horrifying to think that such a vicious and cruel punishment should be imposed on someone who is guilty of nothing more than daring to create a public forum for discussion and peacefully exercising the right to freedom of expression.

– Amnesty International Middle East and North Africa Director, Philip Luther