Saudi Arabia Sentences Atheist to 2,000 Lashings, 10-Years in Prison for Tweets Criticizing Islam
Several news sites are reporting that a Saudi Arabia court has sentenced a man to 10 years in prison, along with a punishment of 2,000 lashes, for several messages on his Twitter account that denied the existence of God and criticized the Koran, the Islamic holy book.
The Sun first reported on the story on Wednesday, revealing that the atheist refused the chance to repent, and instead said that his Twitter messages reflected his views, further arguing that he had the right to express them.
The Daily Mail noted that police investigated his social media accounts and found that he had accused Islamic prophets of lying and teaching hostility. The man also denied the existence of God, which under a controversial law is marked as "terrorism."
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Another atheist in Saudi Arabia was given the same punishment in February of 10 years in prison, a fine, and 2,000 lashings, also for tweets that criticized God and the Muslim religion.
Saudi Arabia cracks down on all forms of political dissent, including challenges to Islam, which has been strongly criticized by persecution watchdog groups.
Open Doors USA lists Saudi Arabia at number 14 of a list of countries where Christians face the most severe persecution for their faith. It says on its website that despite challenges from the Muslim controlled government, the numbers of Christians converts is increasing.
"While churches are strictly forbidden in Saudi Arabia and converting to Christianity is punishable by death, God continues to bless the Body of Christ in this closed country," the watchdog group said in one article detailing the underground growth of believers.
The Saudi government has even tried to impose the death penalty on those it sees as threats to its power, and earlier this year sentenced Palestinian poet Ashraf Fayadh to eight year in prison and 800 lashings on the charges of apostasy for poems and photographs. The poet was originally sentenced to death, but his punishment was changed following an international outcry.
Other groups, including Human Rights Watch, said at the time that the lengthy imprisonment and flogging for Fayadh was still too harsh a sentence.
"No one should face arrest for peacefully expressing opinions, much less corporal punishment and prison. Saudi justice officials must urgently intervene to vacate this unjust sentence," Adam Coogle, a Middle East researcher at HRW, said at the time.
