🗞 Iyad el-Baghdadi: 'The idea of giving up is unimaginable' | UpFront

Known for tweeting sarcastic and stinging critiques of unelected Arab leaders, Palestinian pro-democracy activist Iyad el-Baghdadi rose to prominence in 2011 during the Arab Spring.

In April, officials in Norway, where he received asylum, placed el-Baghdadi in protective custody. They had received a warning from the CIA of a possible threat against him from Saudi Arabia.

El-Baghdadi is a vocal critic of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and has worked with the late journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was murdered inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul last October.

El-Baghdadi said he believes the threats against him are related to the work he was doing with Khashoggi.

"I think this is about more than criticism; this is about actual projects that I was involved in that I think were highly sensitive and seem to have hit a nerve," el-Baghdadi said.

El-Baghdadi didn't go into much detail about the exact nature of the projects but said the threats would not stop him from continuing his work.

"This is an intergenerational struggle. The idea of stopping, the idea of giving up, it's simply unimaginable."

In this week's special interview, we speak to pro-democracy activist Iyad el-Baghdadi.

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