Saudi blogger Raif Badawi – jailed and sentenced to 1,000 lashes for “insulting Islam online” – has been freed, his wife says.

“Raif called me. He is free,” Ensaf Haidar told AFP news agency from Canada, where she fled with the couple’s three children.

The blogger’s first 50 lashes caused a global outcry and he became an emblem of rights abuses in the country.

There has been no official Saudi comment on his release.

Mr Badawi’s son Terad also tweeted: “My father is free.”

His sentence ended on 1 March. However, he is subject to a 10-year-travel ban and it is unclear whether he will face other restrictions.

The NGO Reporters Without Borders said it would work to ensure he can join his family in Canada despite the ban.

Mr Badawi, now 38, established the Liberal Saudi Network, a forum that sought to encourage debate on religious and political matters in Saudi Arabia, in 2008.

In 2012, Mr Badawi was arrested in the city of Jeddah and charged with “insulting Islam through electronic channels” and “going beyond the realm of obedience”.

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-60714086