Saudi blogger sentenced to 1,000 lashes may not be flogged again

Dr Elham Manea, spokesperson for Raif Badawi's family and a professor at the University of Zurich, said the Saudi ambassador in Germany had told a broadcaster of the development.

In a posting on her Facebook page, she wrote: 'Saudi ambassador in Germany informed NDR-TV that flogging will not continue and #RaifBadawi maybe not (sic) have to serve the whole time in prison.'

It comes just a day after the second round of the 31-year-old's flogging, due to take place today, was postponed a second time due to medical concerns.

Only a few days ago Saudi Arabia was accused of 'outrageous inhumanity' after it initially delayed the father of three's flogging sentence so his wounds could heal before he was whipped again.

Saudi Arabia has come under huge international pressure after Mr Badawi's plight was championed by human rights campaigners. 

The 31-year-old won support from governments and human rights groups around the world after he was sentenced to the hefty jail time, a £177,000 fine and the lashes.

His official crime was to insult Islam but supporters say his real offence was to criticise the country's powerful Sunni clerics on his blog. He faces 50 lashings every Friday for the next 18 weeks.

If it's true that his prison sentence has been reduced and flogging finished, it will be considered a small victory for his supporters after they made repeated calls for the 'torture' to be unconditionally stopped.

(dailymail.co.uk)