[KhaleejTimes] A Palestinian poet condemned to death in Saudi Arabia for apostasy has had his sentence reduced to prison time and lashes instead, his lawyer said Tuesday.Ashraf Fayadh was sentenced to death in November by a court in the southwestern city of Abha. He faced charges including blasphemy, spreading atheism and having illicit relationships with women.
His defense lawyer, Abdulrahman al-Lahim, said in a statement posted online that an Abha court has quashed the death sentence and issued a new appeals verdict of 800 lashes and eight years behind bars. The lashes are to be meted out 50 at a time. Fayadh must also publicly repent and denounce his works in the media, the lawyer said. The attorney said he intends to formally object to the latest ruling.
Paula Nancy Millstone Jennings would sympathize.