Earlier this week a Saudi appeals court confirmed the decision sentencing Raif Badawi to 10 years in prison and 1000 lashes. Badawi's crime, creating a blog that "violates Islamic values and propagates liberal thought". The website advocated for social reform including freedom of expression and women's rights.
Lashings are a common punishment in Saudi Arabia. They rarely lead to death. Badawi is to be delivered 50 lashes at a time, with no less than a week between lashings. At the very least, he will be subjected to months of torture, followed by years of prison.