What is Raif Badawi?
[[File:Raif Badawi.jpeg|thumb|Raif Badawi]] [[File:Jimmy Wales calls for Raif Badawi's freedom.webm|thumb|[[Jimmy Wales]] says Badawi should be released from prison.]] '''Raif Badawi''' (Arabic: رائف بدوي; born 13 January 1984) is a Saudi Arabian writer and activist. He started the website Free Saudi Liberals in 2008. He was arrested in 2012 because of the website. The website was then taken off the internet. Badawi was sentenced to 10 years in prison and being hit with a [[whip]]: 1000 [[lash]]es (or hits).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/saudi-arabia-orders-1000-lashes-and-ten-year-sentence-for-editor-of-website-that-discussed-religion-9338285.html|title=Saudi Arabia: 1,000 lashes for editor of site that discussed religion|date=8 May 2014|website=The Independent|access-date=15 February 2019|archive-date=13 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171013025329/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/saudi-arabia-orders-1000-lashes-and-ten-year-sentence-for-editor-of-website-that-discussed-religion-9338285.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> Media said in March 2022, that Badawi no longer is in prison.<ref>https://direkte.vg.no/nyhetsdognet/news/bloggeren-raif-badawi-skal-ha-blitt-loeslatt-fra-fengsel-i-saudi-arabia.fPVIiFTno?utm_source=vgfront&utm_content=hovedlopet_row5_pos1. [[VG]].no. Retrieved March 11, 2022</ref> Badawi has also been banned from any media work or foreign travel for 10 years after his release from prison.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-30828988 |title=West urged to help Saudi blogger |date=15 January 2015 |publisher= |via=www.bbc.co.uk}}</ref> Badawi's first 50 lashes were given on January 9, 2015.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jan/09/saudi-blogger-first-lashes-raif-badawi|title=Saudi blogger receives first 50 lashes of sentence for 'insulting Islam' |author= Associated Press |date=10 January 2015 |publisher= |via=www.theguardian.com}}</ref> After that, Badawi's lashes were