DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) – A person close to the case of a Saudi blogger sentenced to 10 years in prison and 1,000 lashes says he will be publicly flogged after Friday prayers in the Red Sea coastal city of Jiddah.
The person says Raif Badawi, a father of three, is “being used as an example for others to see.”
The person, speaking to The Associated Press by telephone on Thursday, says that Badawi has told his family about the flogging. The person spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of government reprisal.
London-based rights group Amnesty International says Badawi will receive 50 lashes once a week for 20 weeks.
Badawi was sentenced last May to 10 years prison and 1,000 lashes on charges related to insulting Islam on an online forum he had created.