BBC News, 30
July 2013
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| Raef Badawi was facing a possible death sentence for apostasy |
The
activist, Raef Badawi, co-founded the Free Saudi Liberals website, an online
forum for public debate.
He was
arrested last year and convicted on Monday of setting up a website that
undermined general security.
Amnesty
International considers Mr Badawi a political prisoner and has called for his
immediate release.
Mr Badawi
was originally charged with apostasy, or abandonment of religion, a crime in
Saudi Arabia that carries with it the death penalty.
Lawyer
Waleed Abu Alkhair told the BBC that Mr Badawi, a father of three, had
confirmed in court that he was a Muslim but told the judge "everyone has a
choice to believe or not believe."
He was
convicted of the charges of setting up a website that undermines general
security and of ridiculing religious figures.
The judge
ordered that the 600 lashes be administered 150 at a time.
Mr Alkhair
said the charges were over comments the activist posted calling for a
relaxation of Saudi Arabia's strict interpretation of Islam.
The lawyer
said the sentence was unduly harsh.
"The
lashes could be spread out but in Sharia this is a sign that the judge wants to
insult him," he said.
His lawyer
said he will appeal against the decision.
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