Raif bin Muhammad Badawi (born January 13, 1984) is a Saudi Arabian writer, blogger, dissident, and human rights activist. He is the founder of the Free Saudi Liberals website (also known as Liberal Saudi Network), established in 2008, which promoted liberal values, secularism, religious freedom, gender equality, and democratic reforms through open discussions challenging Islamic orthodoxy and government censorship. His writings critiqued religious extremism and advocated for separation of religion and state, making him a key figure in Saudi Arabia's nascent liberal movement.

In 2012, Badawi was arrested on charges of apostasy, insulting Islam, and violating cybercrime laws. He was convicted in 2014 and sentenced to 10 years in prison, a fine of 1 million Saudi riyals (approximately $266,000), and 1,000 lashes. The flogging began on January 9, 2015, with 50 lashes administered outside a mosque in Jeddah; subsequent sessions were postponed due to his deteriorating health. His case drew international condemnation from human rights organizations including Amnesty International (which adopted him as a prisoner of conscience) and Human Rights Watch, and led to Nobel Peace Prize nominations in 2015.

Badawi remains incarcerated in Jeddah's Muhajirien Prison, where he has reportedly suffered from inadequate medical care for injuries sustained during flogging. His wife, Ensaf Haidar, and three children fled to Canada in 2013, where she continues advocacy through the Raif Badawi Foundation. Despite partial pardons on the fine in 2015, his apostasy conviction stands, prohibiting release without royal intervention. His ordeal highlights tensions between Saudi Arabia's modernization push and its enforcement of religious laws under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's early rule.