Inhumane treatment in Saudi jail leads to death of human rights defender - rights groups

Saudi human rights defender Abdullah al-Hamid has died in prison where he has been held since 2013, rights groups said on Friday.

Al-Hamid was one of the 2018 recipients of the Right Livelihood Award, often called the alternative Nobel prize.

The Stockholm-based Right Livelihood Award Foundation said it "condemns Saudi authorities in the strongest terms for al-Hamid's unlawful imprisonment and inhumane treatment that led to his death."

"We are heartbroken about the passing of Abdullah al-Hamid. He has paid the ultimate price for his convictions. We hold Saudi authorities directly responsible for al-Hamid's death, as they have deliberately denied him access to proper medical care for many months during his imprisonment," said Ole von Uexkull, executive director of the foundation.

Al-Hamid, 69, co-founded the Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association (ACPRA) in 2009.

In March 2013, al-Hamid was sentenced for 11 years on charges of seeking to disrupt security, inciting disorder and breaking allegiance to the ruler. Mohammed al-Qahtani, his ACPRA co-founder, was sentenced to 10 years.

According to Amnesty International, al-Hamid suffered a stroke on April 9 and remained in detention, despite being in a coma in the intensive care unit at a Riyadh hospital.

"We are devastated to learn of Dr Abdullah al-Hamid's passing while he remained in detention for his peaceful activism," Lynn Maalouf, Amnesty International's Middle East research director, said.

"We again call on the Saudi Arabian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release all those still imprisoned solely for peacefully exercising their human rights," Maalouf said.