A Saudi official reportedly issued what was perceived as a death threat against a United Nations investigator after his investigation into the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Speaking to The Guardian, Agnès Callamard, the organization’s special rapporteur for extrajudicial killings, said she was alerted to the threat by a UN colleague in January 2020. Two threats were made against Callamard by a Saudi official during a meeting of senior UN officials. UN in Geneva, in which the officer would have threatened to “look after” her if she had not been contained by the UN.
“A death threat. That’s how it was understood, “Callamard said when asked how his colleagues saw the statement.
After UN officials expressed alarm at the threat, other Saudi officials tried to reassure them that the threat should not be taken seriously, reports the Guardian. But after the officers left, the Saudi official remained and repeated his alleged threat to UN officials.
“This was reported to me at the time and it was an occasion when the United Nations was very strong on this issue. The people who were present, and also afterwards, made it clear to the Saudi delegation that this was absolutely inappropriate and that there was an expectation that it would not go further, “Callamard told the Guardian.
During the “high-level” meeting between Saudi diplomats in Geneva, visiting Saudi officials and senior UN officials, Callamard’s investigation into Khashoggi’s assassination was criticized in anger by the Saudis, Callamard said. The Saudi authorities also allegedly stated without foundation that Callamard had been paid by the Qatari government.
As the Guardian reports, Callamard’s 100-page report published in 2019 concluded that there was “credible evidence” that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was behind Khashoggi’s death, along with other Saudi officials. The Saudi government has repeatedly denied that the Crown Prince ordered death.
The Biden government has faced widespread criticism for its decision not to penalize the Crown Prince for the assassination of Khashoggi, although he has issued sanctions and visa restrictions against other Saudi figures linked to the murder.
“This is a crucial step because it deals structurally with an unacceptable standard of targeting, monitoring, harassment and threats to dissidents and journalists,” said the White House press secretary. Jen Psaki
Jen PsakiOn The Money: New batch of stimulus payments for settled accounts Wednesday | Biden looks at T infrastructure package | Senate confirms Walsh as Labor Secretary, White House, eyes scanning the Texas Democratic office’s spending proposal reveals photos of the crowded Border Patrol facility said in early March, defending the government’s decision. “Our national security team believes that going after the network responsible for these actions is the best way to prevent a crime like this from happening again.”