Australian sentenced to 500 lashes
Will also spend year in Saudi jail after being convicted of blasphemy during Haj
Sydney: An Australian man has been sentenced to 500 lashes and a year in a Saudi Arabian jail after being convicted of blasphemy, officials said yesterday.
The 45-year-old man, identified by family members as Mansour Al Maribe of Victoria was detained in the holy city of Madinah last month while making the Haj. Family members told Australian media Saudi officials accused him of insulting the companions of the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), a violation of Saudi Arabia's strict blasphemy laws.
Australia's ambassador in Saudi Arabia has contacted Saudi authorities in a bid for leniency, the Department of Foreign Affairs said. Consular officials are providing support for the man and his family in Australia.
"The Australian government is universally opposed to corporal punishment," the department said in a statement.
Al Maribe was convicted of blasphemy on Tuesday and initially sentenced to two years in jail and 500 lashes. The court later reduced his jail sentence.
Al Maribe's son Jamal told The Age newspaper his father was reading and praying as part of a group when he was arrested.
Al Maribe's son Mohammad said he feared for his father's well-being. "500 slashes on his back, and he has back problems. I wouldn't think he'd survive 50," he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
