Thursday, December 26, 2013

Saudi activist faces new execution threat...

An online activist in Saudi Arabia whose views angered religious conservatives is threatened with apostasy charges that could result in his execution, CNN reports.

Raif Badawi, former editor of the "Saudi Arabian Liberals" website, is already serving a seven-year jail sentence but a judge has now recommended that he be tried for apostasy, according to his wife. Badawi has been imprisoned since June 2012, having been initially detained on charges that included "setting up a website that undermines general security" and ridiculing Islamic religious figures.

Last July, a court in Jeddah found him guilty of violating Saudi Arabia's cybercrime law and insulting Islam. He was sentenced to 600 lashes and seven years in jail. The sentence also included three months' jail for the "crime" of 'uquq (disobeying a parent) – apparently because of disputes Badawi had with his father.

The offending articles on his website included one about Valentine's Day (celebration of which is banned in the kingdom) and another suggesting that al-Imam Mohamed ibn Saud University had become "a den for terrorists". Full story...

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