Raif Badawi on hunger strike, says wife of Saudi blogger
Ensaf Haidar calls for husband's pardon, says he's been transferred to 'isolated' prison
Ensaf Haidar, the wife of imprisoned Saudi blogger Raif Badawi, claims her husband has begun a hunger strike, and she's once again calling on the King of Saudi Arabia to issue him a pardon.
I call on his majesty King Salman to pardon my husband <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RaifBadawi?src=hash">#RaifBadawi</a> and end his ordeal. Please unite my children with their father.
—@miss9afiHaidar tweeted Thursday that her husband Raif Badawi has been on a hunger strike since Tuesday, after being transferred to a new and "isolated" prison a week ago.
URGENT: Saudi Prison administration transferred <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RaifBadawi?src=hash">#RaifBadawi</a> to a new isolated prison and Raif started a hunger strike since Tuesday
—@miss9afiIn 2014, Badawi was found guilty of insulting Islamic values, "promoting liberal thought" and "going beyond the realm of obedience" by suggesting on his website that the Saudi kingdom should become more democratic.
He was sentenced to 10 years in prison and 1,000 lashes. He also faces a hefty fine.
The flogging was suspended after Badawi received an initial 50 lashes last January. Badawi's detention and sentence have stirred up worldwide condemnation.
Badawi is not a Canadian citizen, but his wife and three children were granted political asylum in 2013.
They live in Sherbrooke, Que.