One year after Khashoggi killing, activists honour his legacy by continuing to fight for freedom of expression
"Honour his legacy"?
Strangely enough Khashoggi wasn't much of an advocate for freedom of expresson for Shias when he was a regime shill supporting their sectarian murders...
Khashoggi went on to say that the execution of Sheikh Nimr was justified.
"It is a clear message to anybody who wants to overthrow the government," he stated. "Nimr openly called for overthrow of the system and allegiance to Wilayit al-Faqih, [Iran's Supreme Leader].
"That amounts as treason by any democratic country," he continued. "[His execution] is not about his view as a Shia; it's about his call to overthrow the government and swear allegiance to a foreign leader."
(The execution of a high-profile Shia cleric by Saudi Arabia on Saturday has unleashed a torrent of reactions from other countries, groups and family, ranging from anger to sadness to calls for peace.
Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr was executed along with 46 other prisoners who were charged with terrorism counts by the oil-rich kingdom.
Nimr, a prominent leader in the Shia-populated al-Qatif region in eastern Saudi Arabia, played an instrumental role in the protests that broke out in 2011 and 2012, calling for political reforms. He was arrested in July 2012...
Police shot Sheikh Nimr in the leg four times in disputed circumstances as they detained him after a car chase in Eastern Province's Qatif district.
Officials said he rammed a security forces vehicle, leading to a gun battle. However, his family disputed the allegation that he resisted arrest and insisted that he did not own a weapon.
The cleric was held for eight months before being charged and reportedly spent the first four in an isolation cell at a prison hospital in Riyadh.
Activists and relatives say Sheikh Nimr, who has a wide following among Shia in Eastern Province and other states, supported only peaceful protests and eschewed all violent opposition to the government.
In 2011, he told the BBC that he supported "the roar of the word against authorities rather than weapons... the weapon of the word is stronger than bullets, because authorities will profit from a battle of weapons".
His arrest prompted days of protests in which three people were killed.
Human Rights Watch said more than 1,040 people had been arrested at Shia protests between February 2011 and August 2014. At least 240 are still believed to be in detention.
"I think the message that Saudis are saying is: 'We will arrest anybody. We don't care how high profile they are... nobody is above this. We don't have any tolerance. We don't have any flexibility,'" HRW Middle East researcher Adam Coogle told AP after Sheikh Nimr's sentencing.)