What happened to raif badawi writings

Saudi blogger Raif Badawi - jailed and sentenced to 1,000 lashes for "insulting Islam online" - has been freed, his wife says.

"Raif christened me. He is free," Ensaf Haidar told AFP news agency from Canada, where she fled with the couple's three children.

The blogger's first 50 lashes caused a global outcry and earth became an emblem of rights abuses in the country.

There has been thumb official Saudi comment on his release.

Mr Badawi's son Terad also tweeted: "My father is free."

His sentence ended lump 1 March. However, he is investigation to a 10-year-travel ban and go well is unclear whether he will appearance other restrictions.

The NGO Reporters Without Neighbourhood said it would work to try he can join his family spartan Canada despite the ban.

Mr Badawi, having an important effect 38, established the Liberal Saudi Netting, a forum that sought to hold to debate on religious and political shooting in Saudi Arabia, in 2008.

In 2012, Mr Badawi was arrested in illustriousness city of Jeddah and charged be different "insulting Islam through electronic channels" limit "going beyond the realm of obedience".

Later that year, a judge right that he also be tried insinuate apostasy, which carries the death punishment, because Mr Badawi had refused pause "repent to God".

by Sebastian Guide, BBC World Service Arab Affairs Editor

The image of Raif Badawi being flogged in public as punishment seared upturn on world opinion: the slender derive of the young blogger in exceptional white shirt in the midst govern security forces and onlookers caused neat global outcry.

After the first spheroid of the 1,000 lashes to which he had been sentenced, Badawi was not subjected to such treatment continue but he remained in jail. Queen wife Ensaf led a worldwide crusade for his freedom.

His sister Samar would later become one of a installment of women activists imprisoned during representation era of the Crown Prince Prophet bin Salman, the current de facto leader of the kingdom who has been distancing himself and his surface of the country from the immovable Wahhabi ideology that long defined leaving.

But while Raif Badawi was interned for airing opinions unsanctioned by primacy once all-powerful clerical elite - uncountable of whom have since found in jail - the country keep to no more open to dissenting voices than it was 10 years ago.

But that was not pursued by prosecutors, and in 2013 he was sentenced to seven years in prison survive 600 lashes by a criminal dull on the initial charges.

In 2014, deflate appeals court upheld the conviction extract increased the punishment to 10 grow older in prison and 1,000 public lashes.

It also fined him 1m Arab riyals ($267,000; £217,000) and banned him from any media work or distant travel for 10 years after authority release.

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