Turkey has plan-B to by-pass Austrian law on Islam

Raif Badawi hit headlines earlier this year when he was handed the sentence for supposedly insulting Islam.

The draconian punishment meant that he would be flogged 50 times every Friday for 20 weeks.

But after the first beating in Jeddah on January 9 this year, the process was paused when doctors ruled that a week later his scars had not healed sufficiently for him to face another round.

The punishment has since been postponed each week on medical grounds but the government has so far failed to come up with a long term solution.

Yesterday Ensaf Haidar, wife of the father-of-three, said her country’s criminal courts want him to undergo a retrial for apostasy.

She said the ‘dangerous information’ had come from ‘official sources’ inside the conservative kingdom.

If found guilty he could face the death penalty.

It comes nearly two years after a judge threw out the charge of apostasy against the 31-year-old blogger in 2013 after he assured the court that he was a Muslim.

Philip Luther, Director of Amnesty’s Middle East and North Africa Programme said: ‘We are looking into reports that Raif might be facing the death penalty again and can’t verify that at this stage. Raif and his family must be thinking "what new hell is this?"

‘The torment of facing each week the possibility of another brutal public flogging is an unimaginable torture. These latest rumours that the death penalty is a possibility again add to the nightmare.

‘Over a million people have called for Raif’s freedom. That should be the only development we’re hearing about.’

Last night Mr Badawi’s family explained that the penal court where he faces a retrial now has juristiction over major cases punishable by the death penalty.

In a statement the family said: ‘Due to a new regulation issued by the Supreme Judicial Council on 19.09.2014, the penal court has now jurisdiction over major cases, which are punishable by the death penalty, amputation and stoning.

‘We have reasons to believe without any doubts that the same judge has again asked the Head of the Court of Appeal to charge Raif with ‘Apostasy’.

‘We call on the world citizens and governments not to leave Raif dragged by such bigots to death. And we renew our calls to his Majesty King Salman to pardon Raif Badawi and allow him to leave for Canada to be united with his family there.’

Secret footage from a mobile phone showed a shackled Mr Badawi being flogged by a policeman outside a mosque in January.

The distresssing pictures were seen all over the world and provoked universal outcry.

Mr Badawi’s wife fled to Canada with their children but has continued to campaign for his freedom. She says he started a forum that was simply meant to encourage discussion of the Muslim faith. After seeing the video, she said: ‘Every lash killed me.’

Credit to  Francesca Infante