An Australian man has been sentenced to 500 lashes¹ and a year in prison after being convicted of blasphemy² by judges in Saudi Arabia.

一名澳大利亚男子因亵渎神明被沙特阿拉伯法官判处鞭笞500次以及一年监禁。

Officials in Canberra said they had been in touch with the Saudi authorities to request leniency³（宽大，仁慈） .

Australian reports named the man as 45-year-old Mansor Almaribe from Shepparton in Victoria.

Reports said he was chronically⁴（长期地，慢性地） ill and family members said they were extremely worried about his health.

"Five hundred lashes on his back, and he has back problems. I wouldn't think he'd survive 50," his son Mohammed told Australia's ABC News.

Almaribe had travelled to the country for a pilgrimage（朝拜） to Mecca.

He was arrested nearly a month ago, but details of the charges against him have not been made public.

Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs said the judge initially⁵ handed down a sentence of two years in jail and 500 lashes, but later reduced the jail time.