The Stream

Saudi blogger’s lashing postponed, report says Supreme Court will review case

Doctor recommends Saudi authorities wait for Raif Badawi’s wounds to heal before continuing punishment.

Saudi Arabia has postponed the scheduled flogging of a blogger, according to human rights group Amnesty International.

In May, activist and blogger Raif Badawi was sentenced to 10 years in prison and 1000 lashes for allegedly insulting Islam on his website. As part of his sentence, Badawi is due to undergo 50 lashes each week for a period of 20 weeks.

In a statement released on Friday, Amnesty wrote that a doctor said the wounds from Badawi’s flogging on January 9 had not yet healed, and that he would not be able to withstand another round of lashes.

The doctor recommended that Saudi authorities postpone Badawi’s punishment so that his wounds could heal.

In an interview with the BBC, Badawi’s wife said the office of Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah has referred his case to the Supreme Court for review.

On Twitter, Badawi’s supporters used the hashtag #FreeRaif to call for his release. Several users discussed the doctor’s role in Badawi’s punishment.