Business Standard

US must ban surveillance system exports to Saudi over Khashoggi killing: UN

The United States should consider a moratorium on the export of surveillance equipment to Riyadh over the killing of former Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi

Jamal Khashoggi , journalist Jamal Khashoggi , saudi journalist, missing saudi journalist

Jamal Khashoggi

ANI US

The United States should consider a moratorium on the export of surveillance equipment to Riyadh over the killing of former Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, a UN human rights expert said in a congressional hearing on Friday.

"[There] should be a moratorium... [on] the export of [US] surveillance equipment to Saudi Arabia," UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial executions, Agnes Callamard, told the US House Intelligence Committee. "It could only be lifted if there's been demonstrated progress in respect of human rights."

Click here to connect with us on WhatsApp

Callamard also called for an investigation into any kind of misuse of the surveillance equipment the United States has provided to Saudi Arabia.

 

Khashoggi, a columnist for the Washington Post, went missing last October after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Riyadh initially denied any knowledge of the journalist's whereabouts but eventually admitted that Khashoggi was killed and dismembered inside the embassy.

Riyadh has repeatedly denied allegations that any members of the royal family were involved in the incident. A Saudi court has sentenced eight suspects for their role in Khashoggi's death, according to the prosecutor's office.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Don't miss the most important news and views of the day. Get them on our Telegram channel

First Published: Sep 12 2020 | 7:38 AM IST

Explore News