London: Saudi Arabia has once again postponed the second round of flogging of blogger Raif Badawi. According to the BBC, no reason has been given, but last week Badawi was reported to be physically unfit to face the penalty after receiving the first flogging.
Earlier, authorities in Saudi Arabia decided to not flog blogger Raif Badawi for the second week running after doctors advised against this week’s 50 lashes on health grounds, human rights group Amnesty International said. Badawi was sentenced to 10 years in prison and 1,000 lashes for offending Islam in May last year, reported the BBC.
He was due to receive the flogging over 20 weeks and was given the first round on January 9. Footages that emerged later showed the slight figure of Badawi, dressed in a white shirt, being beaten with a stick. Badawi’s sentence had provoked international outrage on a scale that was not anticipated by Saudi leaders, the report said.
