Raif Badawi weekly flogging delayed for 6th time
Amnesty International says the reasons for the new delays are so far unknown
Raif Badawi, the Saudi blogger jailed for criticizing Islam, has had his weekly lashes delayed for a sixth time, according to Amnesty International.
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Badawi was arrested in June 2012 after criticizing the Saudi regime and expressing views critical of Islam on his blog.
He was eventually sentenced in May 2014 to 10 years in jail and 1,000 lashes, to be delivered in batches of 50 every week.
He was flogged for the first time on Jan. 9. However, the next six flogging sessions were postponed. At least two of the postponements were due to medical reasons.
Amnesty International on Friday said it did not know why his flogging was delayed this week.
Last week, the human-rights organization said he had not yet been seen by a doctor.
Badawi is a 32-year-old blogger and activist. His wife and three children are refugees living in Sherbrooke, Que.
His case was transferred to the Saudi criminal court earlier in February.
Amnesty International is calling for Badawi's sentence to be quashed and for him to be released immediately and unconditionally so he can join his family in Canada.