Saudi Health Attaché in the United States and Canada, Dr. Fahd bin Ibrahim Al Tamimi, said Riyadh has stopped all treatment programs in Canada and is coordinating for the transfer of all Saudi patients from Canadian hospitals to other hospitals outside Canada, reported the official Saudi Press Agency.

Al Tamimi said Riyadh seeks to ensure the safety of Saudi patients who receive treatment in Canada, and to complete their treatment elsewhere.

Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland had tweeted that she was “very alarmed” to learn that Samar Badawi, the sister of jailed civil rights activists and blogger Raif Badawi, also had been imprisoned in Saudi Arabia, and she had called for the release of the both of them.

As a result, Riyadh recalled its ambassador to Canada, gave the Canadian ambassador 24 hours to leave Saudi Arabia, froze new trade and investment, and suspended joint educational programs with Canada.

But, subsequently, Freeland announced that Ottawa will continue to defend human rights.

Raif Badawi was arrested in Saudi Arabia in 2012 and later sentenced to 1,000 lashes and 10 years in jail for criticizing the kingdom’s clerics and religious police.

Also, he is charged with insulting Islam, committing cybercrimes, and disobeying his father—which is considered a crime in Saudi Arabia.

His wife and three children are in Canada.