| − | '''Raif Badawi''' (Arabic: رائف بدوي, others translations Raef Badawi) is a Saudi blogger, writer, activist, and political dissident, most well know his arrest in 2012 on the charges of "insulting Islam through electronic channels" on his blog, ''Free Saudi Liberals.''<ref name=ANHRI>{{cite web |url=http://www.anhri.net/en/?p=10728 |title=Prominent Saudi writer’s safety at risk after arrest |date=11 January 2013 |publisher=The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information |accessdate=01 March 2017 |author=PEN International/IFEX}}</ref> Along with the charges of "insulting Islam" was apostasy, which carries the automatic death penalty in Saudi Arabia.<ref>[http://www.loc.gov/law/help/apostasy/index.php#saudiarabia Saudi Arabia - Laws Criminalizing Apostasy] Library of Congress (May 2014)</ref> After the first trial in 2013 he was sentenced to 600 lashes, to be delivered fifty at a time weekly, and seven years in prison. In 2014 after an appeal the sentence was increased to ten years in prison and 1,000 lashes.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/raif-badawi-atheist-saudi-blogger-faces-further-round-lashes-supporters-say-public-flogging-human-a7372976.html|title=Saudi Arabia is giving an atheist blogger 1,000 lashes|date=2016-10-21|work=The Independent|access-date=2017-03-01|language=en-GB}}</ref> He received the first 50 lashes on January 9, 2015. Badawi was supposed to be flogged every two weeks after that but has not due to his poor health; his wife Ensaf Haidar noted that he suffers from hypertension and further flogging could kill him.<ref>[http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/raif-badawi-granted-quebec-immigration-selection-certificate-1.3110623 Raif Badawi granted Quebec immigration selection certificate]</ref> Badawi insists he is a practicing Muslim despite apostasy charges.<ref name="lashing">{{cite news|title=Saudi blogger receives first 50 lashes of sentence for 'insulting Islam'|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jan/09/saudi-blogger-first-lashes-raif-badawi|accessdate=11 January 2014|agency=Associated Press in Dubai|publisher=Guardian|date=10 January 2015}}</ref> | + | '''Raif Badawi''' (Arabic: رائف بدوي, others translations Raef Badawi) is a Saudi blogger, writer, activist, and political dissident, most well know his arrest in 2012 on the charges of "insulting Islam through electronic channels" on his blog, ''Free Saudi Liberals.''<ref name=ANHRI>{{cite web |url=http://www.anhri.net/en/?p=10728 |title=Prominent Saudi writer’s safety at risk after arrest |date=11 January 2013 |publisher=The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information |accessdate=01 March 2017 |author=PEN International/IFEX}}</ref> Along with the charges of "insulting Islam" was apostasy, which carries the automatic death penalty in Saudi Arabia.<ref>[http://www.loc.gov/law/help/apostasy/index.php#saudiarabia Saudi Arabia - Laws Criminalizing Apostasy] Library of Congress (May 2014)</ref> After the first trial in 2013 he was sentenced to 600 lashes, to be delivered fifty at a time weekly, and seven years in prison. In 2014 after an appeal the sentence was increased to ten years in prison and 1,000 lashes.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/raif-badawi-atheist-saudi-blogger-faces-further-round-lashes-supporters-say-public-flogging-human-a7372976.html|title=Saudi Arabia is giving an atheist blogger 1,000 lashes|date=2016-10-21|work=The Independent|access-date=2017-03-01|language=en-GB}}</ref> He received the first 50 lashes on January 9, 2015. Badawi was supposed to be flogged every two weeks after that but has not due to his poor health; his wife Ensaf Haidar noted that he suffers from hypertension and further flogging could kill him.<ref>[http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/raif-badawi-granted-quebec-immigration-selection-certificate-1.3110623 Raif Badawi granted Quebec immigration selection certificate]</ref> Badawi insists he is a practicing Muslim despite apostasy charges.<ref name="lashing">{{cite news|title=Saudi blogger receives first 50 lashes of sentence for 'insulting Islam'|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jan/09/saudi-blogger-first-lashes-raif-badawi|accessdate=2017-03-04|agency=Associated Press in Dubai|publisher=Guardian|date=10 January 2015}}</ref> |