Saudi blogger punishment was set to 1,000 lashes for 'insulting Islam' and he says it was a 'miracle' he survived the first round of 50 beatings in prisonRaif Badawi has spoken for first time since being jailed for 'insulting Islam'He recalled how cheering crowds chanted around him during first flogging Remarks will feature in book called '1,000 Lashes: Why I Say What I Think' His sentence, including weekly beatings, sparked an international outcry Badawi recalled how he received the first round of lashes in Jeddah on January while surrounded by a cheering crowd that chanted 'Allahu akbar' (God is the greatest), Der Spiegel reported.
In a letter which the magazine said was his first since being jailed, Badawi said: 'All this cruel suffering happened to me only because I expressed my opinion.'
His wife Ensaf Haidar said her husband is in 'a poor condition', adding he had suffered from high blood pressure and was mentally very stressed.
Badawi said a cheering crowd chanted 'Allahu akbar' during his first flogging session. Pictured: leaked video
Saudi blogger Raif Badawi has spoken for the first time since being jailed and sentenced to 1,000 lashes to say it was 'miraculous' that he had survived the first 50.
Badawi was arrested in 2012 for offences including insulting Islam, cyber crime and disobeying his father (a crime in Saudi Arabia).
Last year, the father-of-three was sentenced to 10 years in jail, a fine of 1 million riyals ($266,000).
His punishment also meant he would be flogged 50 times every Friday for 20 weeks - but after the first beating in January this year, these have been postponed each week on medical grounds.
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