Saudi blogger's flogging punishment postponed for the second time for medical reasons

The flogging in Saudi Arabia of blogger Raif Badawi for criticising the country's hardline religious establishment has been postponed for the second time for medical reasons, according to Amnesty International.

Badawi was sentenced to 1000 lashes and ten years in prison for comments made on his website. The lashes are due to take place over 20 weeks, with the first 50 delivered last Friday and the second 50 due later today.

At Freedom from Torture our specially trained doctors often document the medical consequences of blunt force trauma – which includes flogging - on torture survivors during the course of their work in accordance with international standards.

Dr John Hayward explains that the injuries caused in cases of flogging depend on the nature of the implement used, how hard the victim is struck, and whether he or she remains clothed.

"Even with your clothes on, it can be extremely painful," Dr Hayward has told The Telegraph in an interview. "It will probably not break the skin because of the shirt being on, as it would if it was off.

Many regimes that use physical punishment or torture regard this as an advantage as there is no lasting evidence of what has happened.

"There will be substantial bruising, which will persist for two weeks or so, so he won't have recovered from the first by the time he receives the second set."

Dr Hayward confirms that if the skin remained unbroken, the weals caused by the punishment would likely heal without scarring. Many regimes that use physical punishment or torture regard this as an advantage as there is no lasting evidence of what has happened.

However, the mental trauma of the Saudi approach may outweigh the physical pain. "He (Mr Badawi) will be extremely traumatised by the expectation," Dr Hayward said.

"It could well be that he will become extremely depressed, with always a possibility that he would become suicidal.

"He will also have severe post-traumatic stress disorder, which means he will have nightmares and difficulty sleeping, and the impact of that will last for a long time after the punishment has been completed. In some cases it lasts many years."