UPDATE 2-Imprisoned Saudi blogger on hunger strike, wife says

(Adds Canadian foreign minister comment, paragraphs 4-6)
By Allison Lampert
MONTREAL, Dec 10 (Reuters) - Imprisoned Saudi blogger Raif
Badawi has been on a hunger strike since Tuesday after being
transferred to a "new isolated" prison, his wife, Ensaf Haidar,
said on Thursday.
Haidar, who lives in Canada where she and their three
children were granted political asylum, confirmed the news by
phone after tweeting it.
Colette Lelievre, a Montreal-based campaign organizer with
Amnesty International, said Thursday the group had been told
Badawi was transferred to a different prison for "administrative
reasons." Amnesty had not yet independently confirmed he started
a hunger strike.
Canadian Foreign Minister Stephane Dion told reporters in
Ottawa that the federal government was still seeking
confirmation that he had changed prisons.
"We are very concerned about the situation of Mr. Badawi,"
he said. Asked if Canada was making representations to the Saudi
embassy, he said: "We are doing our best to make sure that we
will have a positive result in the end."
The Saudi embassy in Ottawa did not immediately respond to a
request for comment.
Badawi, who created and managed an online forum, was found
guilty in 2014 of breaking Saudi Arabia's technology laws and
insulting Islam. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison and
1,000 lashes.
Badawi received his first 50 lashes in January, prompting
strong criticism in Western countries of the kingdom's human
rights record.
"I call on his majesty King Salman to pardon my husband,"
Haidar tweeted earlier in the day. "Please unite my children
with their father."
Haidar will be traveling to France to accept the prestigious
Sakharov Prize awarded to her husband during a ceremony in
Strasbourg on Dec. 16, Lelievre said. The prize, awarded by the
European Parliament, is to honor freedom of thought.