Saudi Arabia: Sentence of human rights defender Raif Badawi: '50 lashes a week for 20 weeks'.

Saudi Arabia: Sentence of human rights defender Raif Badawi: '50 lashes a week for 20 weeks'. (HumanRightsWatch).

On 1 September 2014 the Court of Appeal in Jeddah upheld the sentence of human rights defender Raif Badawi. He was sentenced on 7 May 2014 to 10 years in prison, 1000 lashes and a 10 year travel ban to start on expiration of his jail sentence, a ban on using media outlets and a fine of one million Saudi Riyals (about US$266,600).

Raef Badawi is co-founder and editor of the website Liberal Saudi Network, a website and on-line forum created to foster political and social debate in Saudi Arabia. He has been detained since 17 June 2012 in a prison in Briman in Jeddah. His sentence stemmed from the creation of the website and his calls for reforms in the Kingdom.

On 29 July 2013, he was sentenced by the District Court in Jeddah to 7 years and 3 months imprisonment, 600 lashes and the shutting down of the website. On 12 December 2013, the Court of Appeals accepted an appeal of the sentence and sent back the case to the District Court in Jeddah. On 7 May 2014, the District Court in Jeddah, instead of releasing Raef Badawi, imposed a tougher new sentence on him. For further information see previous GCHR appeals: http://gc4hr.org/news/view/464 and http://gc4hr.org/news/view/652) .

The Court has now set out that Raif Badawi should receive the lashes in public outside Al-Jafali mosque. It ordered that there should be no more than 50 lashes per session, with a break of no less than a week between sessions. It is feared that the sentence and first of the lashes will be imposed any day.

The Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR) expresses serious concern at the upholding of the sentence against Raif Badawi, as it is solely related to his legitimate human rights activities. This action by the Court of Appeal is particularly concerning in light of the fact that Saudi Arabia is a member of the UN Human Rights Council as it is a clear attempt to punish and hinder the peaceful work of human rights defenders in Saudi Arabia.Read the full story here.