Saudi blogger Raif Badawi has spoken for the first time since being jailed and sentenced to 1,000 lashes to say it was 'miraculous ' that he had survived the first 50 . Badawi was arrested in 2012 for offences including insulting Islam , cyber crime and disobeying his father ( a crime in Saudi Arabia ) . Last year , the father-of-three was sentenced to 10 years in jail , a fine of 1 million riyals ( $ 266,000 ) . His punishment also meant he would be flogged 50 times every Friday for 20 weeks - but after the first beating in January this year , these have been postponed each week on medical grounds . Scroll down for video . Saudi blogger Raif Badawi , who was sentenced to 1,000 lashes for 'insulting Islam ' , has spoken for the first time from jail about his first flogging in January . His conviction sparked an international outcry and German weekly Der Spiegel reported Badawi 's first remarks since being given the sentence today . Badawi recalled how he received the first round of lashes in Jeddah on January while surrounded by a cheering crowd that chanted 'Allahu akbar ' ( God is the greatest ) , Der Spiegel reported . In a letter which the magazine said was his first since being jailed , Badawi said : 'All this cruel suffering happened to me only because I expressed my opinion . ' His wife Ensaf Haidar said her husband is in ' a poor condition ' , adding he had suffered from high blood pressure and was mentally very stressed . Badawi said a cheering crowd chanted 'Allahu akbar ' during his first flogging session . Pictured : leaked video footage taken on a mobile phone showed the beating in January . Badawi 's remarks form the preface of a book entitled ' 1,000 Lashes : Why I Say What I Think ' , which is due to be published in Germany on April 1 . Der Spiegel said the German government had warned against the book 's publication because it could put the blogger 's life at risk , though Berlin and the publisher have denied this . A German diplomat told Reuters that Badawi was free to publish in Germany whatever he liked , but added : 'The ministry can not predict the consequences of such a publication for him . ' Publisher Siv Bublitz from Ullstein Buchverlage said that the company had 'confidential contacts ' with the German government on the Badawi book project . 'At no time have we felt that the exchange was an attempt by the foreign ministry to prevent our publication or to complicate it , ' he said on Friday . In another statement issued today , the publisher added Badawi had dictated his remarks to his wife on the phone and that the preface therefore should not be called a letter , as described in earlier statements . The father-of-three ( pictured with his children ) was sentenced to 10 years in jail and weekly floggings last year . Human rights groups and several Western governments have called on Riyadh to cancel the sentence of 1,000 lashes . Germany 's economy minister and vice chancellor Sigmar Gabriel said during a visit to Riyadh this month that he had discussed human rights issues in Saudi Arabia and had suggested a pardon for Badawi . Badawi 's floggings were paused after doctors ruled his scars had not healed sufficiently after his first beating for him to face another round , but the government has so far failed to come up with a long term solution . But earlier this month , it was revealed that he may now face the death penalty after his wife revealed the country 's criminal courts want him to face a retrial for apostasy .
Raif Badawi has apologized for first time since being arrested for ' insulting Islam ' He recalled how cheering fans chanted around him during first flogging . Remarks a feature in book ##makers ' bloody Lashes : Why I Say What I ##hes ' His sentence , including weekly beatings , sparked an international outcry .