Raif Badawi's wife worried he could face death penalty

The wife of Saudi blogger Raif Badawi is worriedhe may now face the death penalty for renouncing his faith.

EnsafHaidar, who lives inSherbrooke, Que. with their three children, told CBC on Monday she's heard from official sources inSaudiaArabia her husband may face a new trial, this time on a charge of apostasy.

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The charge is punishable under Saudi law with thedeath penalty by beheading.But Haidar said shes not ready to give up the fight for his freedom.

I wont stop, I wont stop, she said.

The familyissued a statement regarding the possible retrialand is asking for the public to pressure the Saudi Arabian government.

"We call on the world citizens and governments not to leave Raif dragged by such bigots to death," the statement said.

Mireille ElChacar ofAmnesty International said her organizationconsidersthe retrial only a rumour for nowand is trying to confirm with Saudi officials.

"Of course, our hope is that he be completely free," El Chacar told CBCDaybreakon Monday.

Amnesty International is calling forBadawi'ssentence to be quashed and for him to be released immediately and unconditionally.

Badawi was arrested in June 2012 for criticizing the Saudi regime and expressing views deemed critical of Islam on his blog.

He was sentenced to 10 years in jail and 1,000 lashes, to be delivered in batches of 50 every week.

He was flogged for the first time on Jan. 9, but the next seven flogging sessions were postponed. At least two of the postponements were due to medical reasons, but no reasons were given for subsequent delays.

Last week, the City of Montreal passed a motion condemning Badawi's treatmentand called on the Canadian government to come to his aid.

A spokesperson forCanada's Department of Foreign Affairs said the government"is aware of recent media reports regarding a possible retrial."

"Canada considers the punishment of Mr.Badawito be a violation of human dignity, and we continue to call for clemency in this case," the spokesperson said in an emial.