After a decade of legal battles, wife of Saudi blogger Raif Badawi announced he has been freed from Saudi prison. Badawi was arrested in 2012 for criticising religious figures and promoting liberal views of Islam.

His arrest had made international headlines after he was whipped 50 times in public as a part of his sentence, which was originally 1,000 lashes. The remaining lashes were suspended due to international backlash.

raif badawi
A picture of Saudi blogger Raif Badawi (C) is seen between others photos of prisoners in Saudi Arabia during a demonstration for his release from jail outside the Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Mexico City, February 20,Reuters

Badawi's wife Ensaf Haidar had been fighting for her husband's release since his arrest. His ten-year sentence was served in full on Feb 28, hence the family had been expecting his release since.

Haider lives in Sherbrooke, Quebec, with her three children. Now, Badawi's release from prison isn't without an asterisk. The Saudi government has imposed a travel ban, preventing him to fly back to Canada where his family is.

A spokesperson for the human rights organization Amnesty International said the conditions of Badawi's release were not clear and that the organisation is fighting for the ban to be lifted.

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