Atheist sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia

Deera Square is a public space in central Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in which public executions occur, usually by beheading. It is sometimes known as Justice Square or Chop Chop Square. Photo courtesy of Creative Commons

By Kimberly Winston | 12 hours ago

(RNS) Saudi Arabia has reportedly condemned a man to death for atheism.

The man, Ahmad Al-Shamri, lost two appeals before the ruling by the Saudi Supreme Court earlier this week. He was initially arrested in 2014 and charged with atheism and blasphemy, both punishable by execution, after denouncing the Prophet Muhammad in videos he uploaded to social media, according to the Independent newspaper, which cited local media reports.

Al-Shamri is only the latest atheist condemned by the Saudi government. In 2013, blogger Raif Badawi was sentenced to 1,000 lashes, 10 years in prison and a fine for “insulting Islam.” His lawyer was also jailed for what the Saudi government called “making international organizations hostile to the kingdom.”

Badawi received the first 50 of his lashes in 2015, setting off an international uproar.

http://religionnews.com/2017/04/26/atheist-sentenced-to-death-in-saudi-arabia/