The wife of Saudi Arabian blogger Raif Badawi says he has been released after a decade in prison for criticizing the country’s conservative religious establishment
Saudi blogger and rights activist Raif Badawi, who was released from prison Friday after 10 years in jail and 50 lashes, has become a symbol of free speech far beyond the conservative Muslim kingdom.The 38-year-old whose public flogging in a Jeddah square after he was sentenced to 1,000 lashes sparked an international outcry was taken into custody in 2012 for charges including undermining security and insulting Islam via his website.
February 2022 in Middle East and North Africa: A free expression roundup produced by IFEX's Regional Editor Naseem Tarawnah, based on IFEX member reports and news from the region.