This is just a guess, mind you, but I wouldn't be surprised if Saudi Arabia has no intention whatsoever of following through with the 500 lashes. My guess is they picked that sentence to look tough, but they're going to end up quietly releasing the guy when the western countries put the pressure on.
It's still barbaric that a blasphemy law and sentencing someone to lashes are on the books at all, but I don't think the Saudi rulers are dumb enough to piss everyone off by killing a guy who allegedly insulted someone who has been dead for a thousand years.
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