Ashraf Fayadh’s Death Sentence Repealed; New Ruling Sentences Poet to 8 Years, 800 Lashes

The appeal of Palestinian poet Ashraf Fayadh — who was facing the death penalty in Saudi Arabia — was heard today:

The higher court reversed the previous death-sentence ruling and replaced it with eight years, eight hundred lashes, and public repentance.

A statement by Fayadh’s attorney, Abdulrahman Al-Lahim, in response to the ruling can be read online. (https://twitter.com/allahim/status/694497804471918593 )  Reaction on Twitter was mixed, with relief (https://twitter.com/Hozwoldian/status/694512167039664128 ) , continued outrage, and some insisting there was “no place for atheists (https://twitter.com/mohbk13/status/694521570698641408 ) ” in Saudi Arabia.

You can read Fayadh’s poetry in multiple translations on ArabLit ( https://twitter.com/mohbk13/status/694521570698641408 ) .

---

---