What did Khashoggi say about late Saudi activist?

ISTANBUL

Social media activists posted a televised interview of late Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi where he talked about the importance of Saudi human rights activist and renowned "constitutional expert" academic Abdullah al-Hamid, who died Friday in prison.

Human rights sources and activists confirmed the death of al-Hamid, 69, in one of Saudi Arabia's prisons, allegedly due to deliberate medical neglect by authorities.

Authorities could not be reached for immediate comment but Riyadh routinely denies accusations of medical neglect in its prisons, rejecting domestic and international criticism on the issue.

In the interview, Khashoggi argues that a movement for constitutional monarchy had emerged in the kingdom even before the Arab Spring uprisings that began in 2011.

He said major figures of the movement led by al-Hamid were imprisoned, with most under travel restrictions.

Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist and writer for The Washington Post, who was killed Oct. 2, 2018, inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, said the movement was "very advanced, and it is the time for [Saudis] to discover it."

During the interview, Khashoggi urged Saudi Arabians to read a book by al-Hamid on "constitutional innovation."

"The beautiful thing about this movement is it is innovation, not an imported thought from the west. It is purely Salafi-Saudi Islamic soil, and was written by a pure Saudi citizen," said Khashoggi.

He stressed al-Hamid was an "intellectual and educated person with a solid and not strict Islamic background."

Al-Hamid, who established the Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association, one of the most prominent groups in the country advocating for regime reformation, was arrested authorities in March 2013 and sentenced to 11 years in prison.

The Saudi Human Rights Organization, a non-governmental organization operating outside the kingdom, alleges authorities had not charged al-Hamid with any crimes before he was imprisoned.

The organization said in a previous statement that Al-Hamid's health had been deteriorating for more than three months, with authorities having "not accepted his release despite his age."

*Bassel Ibrahim contributed to this report from Ankara