Wife’s plea for ill husband who faces 1,000 lashes

Ensaf Haidar takes part in a news conference calling for the release of her husband, Raif Badawi, in Ottawa. Reuters

The wife of a Saudi rights activist, who was sentenced to 1,000 lashes last year, said last night that her husband’s health had worsened after the first round of flogging and that he could not possibly survive the full punishment.

Raif Badawi, a blogger and founder of the “Free Saudi Liberals” website, received 50 lashes on Jan 9. The second round has twice been postponed on medical grounds.