Saudia Arabias King Abdullah travels to France to express solidarity after an attack on freedom of speech and press, while a blogger in his own land is fined 1M riyals and sentenced to 1,000 lashes for criticizing powerful Saudi clerics. #hypocrisy #CharlieHebdo Despite international pleas for his release, Badawi, a father of three, was brought from prison by bus to the public square on Friday and flogged on the back in front of a crowd that had just finished midday prayers at a nearby mosque. His face was visible and, throughout the flogging, he clenched his eyes and remained silent, said the witness. Rights groups argue that the case against Badawi is part of a wider crackdown on freedom of speech and dissent in Saudi Arabia since the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings. Criticism of clerics is seen as a red line because of their prestige in the kingdom, as well as their influential role in supporting government policies.
Posted on: Tue, 13 Jan 2015 16:33:05 +0000
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