( CNN ) -- A Saudi court has sentenced a activist to seven years in prison and 600 lashes for violating the nation 's anti-cybercrime law , Human Rights Watch reported Wednesday . A Jeddah Criminal Court found Raif Badawi , who has been in prison since June 2012 , guilty this week of insulting Islam through his website and in television comments . Reported Saudi paralysis sentence 'outrageous , ' rights group says . `` This incredibly harsh sentence for a peaceful blogger makes a mockery of Saudi Arabia 's claims that it supports reform and religious dialogue , '' said Nadim Houry , the deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch . `` A man who wanted to discuss religion has already been locked up for a year and now faces 600 lashes and seven years in prison . '' Saudi Arabia may block Skype , Viber , WhatsApp , others . His lawyer , Waleed Abu al-Khair , told Human Rights Watch that Judge al-Harbi read the verdict Monday . The court is expected to send him a written notification by August 6 . They 'll have 30 days to appeal . Case separates family . Ensaf Haidar , Badawi 's wife , said she 's devastated by the news . `` I do n't know what to do , '' Haidar said Wednesday . `` Raif did nothing wrong . '' Haidar and the couple 's three children now live in Lebanon . Estranged from her family , Haidar said it would be impossible to take her children back to Saudi Arabia . The stigma is too strong there . `` You feel like everybody 's accusing you , '' she said , close to tears , in an April interview . `` Like everybody 's against you , at war with you . '' CNN has made several attempts to reach the Saudi Arabia government for comment but received no response . Family pleads for jailed Saudi activist . A contentious five years . Badawi 's legal troubles started shortly after he started the Free Saudi Liberals website in 2008 . He was detained for one day and questioned about the site . Some clerics even branded him an unbeliever and apostate . Saudi Islamist preacher on trial in daughter 's slaying . Last summer , Human Rights Watch released a statement urging Saudi authorities to free Badawi . `` Saudi authorities should drop charges and release the editor of the Free Saudi Liberals website for violating his right to freedom of expression on matters of religion and religious figures , '' a statement from the group said at the time . Rights groups accuse Saudi authorities of targeting activists through the courts and travel bans . Many were outraged when two of the country 's most prominent reform advocates , Mohammed Al-Qahtani and Abdullah Al-Hamid , were sentenced in March to 10 years in prison apiece . Amnesty International called that trial `` just one of a troubling string of court cases aimed at silencing the kingdom 's human-rights activists . '' Asked in January about accusations that Saudi Arabia is cracking down on dissent , Maj. Gen. Mansour Al-Turki , spokesman for the Saudi Interior Ministry , told CNN , `` At the Interior Ministry , our area of responsibility is security . '' He added , `` My understanding is that these cases are being looked at by the courts now . Nobody will comment on cases being looked at by the courts . ''
NEW : Activist 's wife calls sentence `` devastating '' Raif Badawi has been in prison since June 2012 . Human Rights Watch calls the sentence a `` mockery '' Rights groups say Saudi authorities are targeting activists through the courts , travel bans .