By Max Bartels 

Impunity Watch Reporter, The Middle East

 

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

A Saudi Arabian Blogger named Raif Badawi was sentenced to 10 years in prison and 1,000 lashes after he was convicted of insulting Islam in 2014. On Friday he was subjected to the first of 20 sessions of public flogging, each session consisting of 50 lashes. Bawdawi was the co-founder of a website called the Liberal Saudi Network that has since been banned by the state. He was originally charged with apostasy, which would have carried the death sentence but was cleared of the charge. Instead he was convicted of a range of offences in the Saudi Anti-Terror Court for insulting Islam.

Mr. Badawi was sentenced to 10 years in prison and 1,000 lashes (Photo curtesy of BBC News).

The flogging took place in the City of Jeddah outside a mosque. Bawdawi was brought to the site in police custody he was then read the charges against him in front of a crowd of spectators. After the charges were read he was made to turn his back on the crowd and receive his 50 lashes.

There has been much protest to the use of such harsh punishment by the U.S government and human rights activist groups. The Saudi Arabian Government remained silent after these statements were made and made no indication that the concerns of the international community were taken into consideration.

There are many in the international community who believe that Saudi Arabia is behaving no better than ISIS by giving out these punishments for religious crimes. Saudi Arabia is a primary ally in the Middle East for the U.S and is a member of the U.S led coalition to combat ISIS. However, many have compared the punishments given out by ISIS for religious based offenses including death and flogging to that of Saudi Arabia.

The international pressure against Saudi Arabia has been amplified after the recent attacks in Paris. The main focus of the demonstration following the attacks has been support for freedom of speech and freedom of expression. Badawi’s wife claims that her husband first created the online forum to encourage meaningful discussion of religion. Saudi Arabia’s harsh stance on anti-Islamic sentiment was a talking point for free speech and expression demonstrators in Paris. Saudi Arabia has not released a statement regarding Badawi’s conviction or punishment but have released statements condemning the Paris attacks, stating they were incompatible with Islam as well as sending a representative to Paris to show support for France.

For more information, please see:

BBC News — Saudi Blogger Badawi Flogged for Islam insult — 9 January 2015

CNN News — Saudi Arabian Rights Activist Reportedly Flogged Despite International Outcry — 13 January 2015

The Guardian — Global Outrage at Saudi Arabia as Jailed Blogger Receives Public Flogging — 11 January 2015

The Chicago Tribune — 1,000 Lashes for a Saudi Dissident — 12 January 2015

 

Author: Impunity Watch Archive