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| Arabia |
| Saudi blogger lashed in public for 'insulting Islam' |
| 2015-01-10 |
| [DAWN] Soddy Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face... on Friday publicly flogged a blogger sentenced to 1,000 lashes for insulting Islam, with A Saudi court in September upheld a sentence of 10 years in prison as well as the flogging for Raef Badawi, who has been behind bars since June 2012. Badawi was also ordered to pay a fine of one million riyals ($267,000, 192,00 euros). The 30-year-old received a first installment of 50 lashes on Friday and is expected to have 20 weekly whipping sessions until his punishment is complete. Witnesses said that Badawi was flogged after the weekly Friday prayers near Al-Jafali mosque in the Red Sea city of Jeddah as a crowd of worshipers looked on. He was driven to the site in a police car, and taken out of the vehicle as a government employee read out the charges against him to the crowd. The blogger was made to stand with his back to onlookers as another man began flogging him, witnesses said, adding that Badawi did not make any sound or cry in pain. People who had emerged from noon prayers watched in silence and were ordered by security forces not to take any pictures on their mobile phones. Badawi is the co-founder of the now-banned Saudi Liberal Network along with womens rights campaigner Suad al-Shammari, who was also accused of insulting Islam and placed in durance vile Book 'im, Mahmoud! last October. Shammari has said the charges against Badawi were levelled after the Saudi Liberal Network criticised holy mans and the kingdoms notorious |
| Posted by:Fred |