Saudi blogger sentenced for flogging may now face death penalty if found guilty of apostasy

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ANI London
Last Updated : Mar 02 2015 | 11:07 AM IST

Raif Badawi, the Saudi Arabian blogger sentenced to 10 years in prison and 1,000 lashes for offending Islam in May last year, may now be handed down death penalty.

Badawi's wife, Ensaf Haidar, said that judges in Saudi Arabia's criminal court wanted him to undergo trial for apostasy again. She added that if found guilty, he may face a death sentence, reported The Independent.

Haidar said that she received the "dangerous information" from "official sources" inside the conservative kingdom.

Badawi was to receive the flogging over 20 weeks and was given the first round on January 9, for lashing out at the country's clerics through his liberal blog. The subsequent rounds of flogging were postponed repeatedly on health grounds.

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First Published: Mar 02 2015 | 10:54 AM IST

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