Health of imprisoned Saudi blogger on hunger strike deteriorates

The health of imprisoned Saudi blogger Raif al-Badawi currently on hunger strike is deteriorating, his wife Ensaf Haidar has warned.

Bawadi started his hunger strike more than 20 days ago in protest against his transfer to an isolated prison.

He has suffered fainting spells as his health deteriorates, said his wife.

Haider currently lives in Canada where authorities recently granted her political asylum along with the couple's three children.

"We call upon the prison management to provide the required medical care to #RaifBadawi," tweeted Haidar on Thursday.

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In 2013, Bawadi was sentenced to seven years in prison and 600 lashes. His sentence was extended in 2014, and, in mid-January 2015, it was passed to the Saudi Supreme Court for review.

Badawi received the first 50 lashes of his sentence in January, prompting strong criticism in Western countries of the kingdom's human rights record.

In 2012, Amnesty International designated Badawi a prisoner of conscience.

He is a recipient of several international awards, including the Courage Award 2015 from the Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy, and the European Union's prestigious Sakharov Prize for human rights.