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Wife of Saudi blogger asks for Harper's help, says husband can't take flogging

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 29 Jan, 2015 10:49 AM

OTTAWA — The wife of the imprisoned Saudi blogger Raif Badawi says her husband can't withstand another flogging.

Ensaf Haidar, now a refugee living in Quebec, joined an all-party coalition of MPs on Parliament Hill today urging Prime Minister Stephen Harper to intervene personally with his Saudi counterparts.

They want the prime minister to push for the release of Badawi, who is set to receive 50 more lashes on Friday.

It is part of Badawi's ongoing punishment of 1,000 lashes, a 10-year prison sentence and heavy fines for criticizing Saudi clerics on a blog he founded.

The 32-year-old father of three was lashed 50 times on January 9th, but his second scheduled beating was postponed last week for medical reasons.

Haidar says several doctors examined her husband in the last week, and she says no human being can withstand the punishment he is scheduled to receive.

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