Imprisoned Saudi blogger Raif Badawi has been awarded the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought.
The prize is awarded to people who fight for human rights and draw attention to human rights violations.
Badawi’s wife Ensaf Haidar accepted the award on his behalf Wednesday at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France.
Haidar travelled from Sherbrooke, Quebec, where she lives with the couple's three children, to accept the award on his behalf.
Badawi won the award among three nominees for the prestigious prize.
In her speech, his wife held up a photo of him and said, "Raif Badawi was brave enough to raise his voice and say no to their barbarity. That is why they flogged him."
In 2014, Badawi was found guilty of insulting Islamic values after he called for more democracy in Saudi Arabia on his blog.
He was sentenced to 10 years in prison and 1,000 lashes. He was flogged 50 times last January. Since then, other floggings been postponed because of concerns for his health.
Last week, Badawi was placed in isolation in prison. His wife confirms he started a hunger strike to protest his imprisonment.
Haidar is also calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to step up the pressure on the Saudi government to release Badawi.
