Dissident Saudi prince Khaled calls for reform

Prince Khaled bin Farhan, 41, has lived in exile in Germany for over a decade. He and his family live under the protection of Germany and have German citizenship.

He left Saudi Arabia in 2007 after he was warned about an arrest warrant with his name on it. 

Prince Khaled has long been critical of the Saudi monarchy and has advocated for reforms in Saudi Arabia.

The exiled Saudi prince spoke to The Independent announcing that he is starting a Europe-based opposition movement to counter the regime’s undemocratic rule.

The opposition group, The Freedom Movement of Arabian Peninsula People, will work towards changing the regime in Saudi Arabia into a constitutional monarchy.

Prince Khaled argues that the country should hold elections to appoint a prime minister and the long-standing violations of human rights need to be addressed.

The movement will provide people who flee Saudi Arabia with lawyers, translators, and access to media to assist them in seeking asylum in Europe.

“We need a new system in Saudi Arabia like other democracies, where the people have the right to elect a government, to create a new Saudi Arabia,” Prince Khaled told The Independent.

“We have a vision for the judicial system, for human rights and accountability, but right now we need to focus on the constitution and on activism to help Saudis in Europe.”

The dissident prince recommends that the Saud family remain in a symbolic position like in some Western countries, however, he says citizens should control the affairs of state.

Prince Khaled’s idea of forming an opposition movement came after the Khashoggi murder in Istanbul last year. Recently the case of Rahaf Mohammed al Qunun grabbed international headlines when the Saudi national barricaded herself in a Bangkok airport hotel room to resist being sent home to Saudi Arabia, which also played a role in Khaled’s decision.

The prince claims he is on Riyadh’s list of targets like Jamal Khashoggi, a former

Washington Post contributor and critic of the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Prince Khaled says Saudi officials tried to convince him to enter the Saudi embassy in Cairo under the guise of giving him millions of dollars just a few days before Jamal Khashoggi went missing. However, he claims he realised it was a trap for and did not go to the embassy in Cairo.

"They would have killed me in some inhuman way in order to scare off others," he added.

Prince Khaled bin Farhan is the only one confirmed still alive among other dissident princes like Prince Sultan bin Turki, Prince Turki bin Bandar, and Prince Saud bin Saif.

The oil-rich monarchy, Saudi Arabia, has been through several internal struggles within the royal family over the years.

There are reports that missing members of Saudi Arabia's royal family have been kidnapped and abducted from other countries and brought back to Riyadh. Saudi officials deny all accusations.