Days after the death of the Saudi academic and jurist Abdullah Al-Hamid in prison, the Chair of the Subcommittee on Human Rights in the European Parliament wrote an eulogy in which she spoke about his qualities and courage in defending the issues he believed in.
"I was shocked to learn that one of the most prominent human rights voices in Saudi Arabia died in the prison where he was serving his sentence," Maria Arena said.
The memorial message stated that Professor Al-Hamid, 69, was a pioneer in demanding Saudi Arabia to recognize the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and to carry out political reforms to reach a model of the rule of law with the required accountability institutions.
Al-Hamid entered prison in March 2013, at which time he was sentenced to 11 years in prison, without explaining the reasons for the sentence.
The European Parliament stated that Al-Hamid "devoted all his life to the struggle against the flagrant violations of human rights, in addition to calling for the protection of defenders of the people's right to freedom and fundamental rights."
And last Friday morning, it was announced that the man had died in prison after a stroke he suffered after a period of medical neglect, according to human rights activists.
On the circumstances of the death, Arena wrote, "The Saudi authorities have been aware of the deteriorating health status of al-Hamid since the beginning of this year, and that denying detainees access to the necessary medical care is a violation of the right to life, and is considered a kind of inhuman and degrading treatment ...".
The Belgian politician said, "Women human rights defenders and human rights activists - like Raif Badawi, recipient of the Sakharov Prize - are currently under arrest, because they exercised their basic rights such as freedom of expression."
In the context of working to contain the emerging Coronavirus, I wrote, "I strongly urge the Saudi authorities to take steps to release human rights defenders and implement health measures without discrimination."
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Earlier, Human Rights Watch considered the international human rights organization that the death of the detainee in Saudi prisons, Dr. Abdullah Al-Hamid is clear evidence of the deterioration of human rights in the Kingdom.
"We have lost one of the leading lights of the human rights movement in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, but its message and many of the activists who inspired it will live and continue to press for reform," said Michael Page, deputy director of the Middle East and North Africa division of the human rights organization.
And he added, "It is unreasonable for Abdullah Al-Hamid to be forced to spend his last years in prison simply for criticizing Saudi Arabia's widespread human rights violations."
For its part, today Amnesty International (Amnesty International) referred to Abdullah Al-Hamid, calling it "the fearless hero".
This came in a statement published by the organization on its website, in which it expressed its shock to receive the news of Al-Hamid's death in Saudi prisons.
"We were shocked to learn that Al-Hamid had died while in detention because of his peaceful activity," the statement said.