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Saudi Arabia defers flogging of blogger Raif Badawi 'again' on health grounds

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ANI London
Last Updated : Jan 23 2015 | 1:45 PM IST

Saudi Arabia has reportedly 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.

Ensaf Haider, the blogger's wife, said that she was "relieved" that the punishment had been postponed but added that she remained concerned about his health.

Badawi's sentence had provoked international outrage on a scale that was not anticipated by Saudi leaders, the report said.

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First Published: Jan 23 2015 | 1:33 PM IST

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