The flogging Friday in Jeddah was the first of 20 such sessions imposed by a Saudi court after Badawi’s 2014 conviction. He was arrested after creating an online forum in 2008 that his wife says was meant to encourage discussion about faith.
“Raif raised his head towards the sky, closing his eyes and arching his back,” Amnesty International quoted what it said was an eyewitness to the flogging as saying. “He was silent, but you could tell from his face and his body that he was in real pain. The officer beat Raif on his back and legs, counting the lashes until they reached 50.”
The punishment may also have been captured in cell-phone video uploaded to YouTube.
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Saudi officials said the attack was “incompatible with Islam.”
CNN’s Becky Anderson contributed to this report.
