MbS 'Responsible For Crimes against Humanity', Complains Reporters without Borders
By
Shaheer Choudhury
4 March
2021
The international NGO, Reporters without Borders, has begun legal action against Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman along with four other senior government figures. [1] This follows the recently declassified US intelligence community’s 2018 report on the killing of the late Jamal Khashoggi (raḥimahu Allāh), a Saudi journalist and long-time critic of the Saudi government.
Reporters
without Borders, which campaigns for freedom of press around the world, filed a
criminal complaint on Monday with the German Public Prosecutor General,
“targeting Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman and other high-ranking Saudi
officials responsible for crimes against humanity.” [2]
The
Secretary-General of Reporters without Borders, Christophe Deloire, said in a
press conference on Tuesday:
“Those
responsible for the persecution of journalists in Saudi Arabia, including the
murder of Jamal Khashoggi, must be held accountable for their crimes… While
these serious crimes against journalists continue unabated, we call on the
German prosecutor to take a stand and open an investigation into the crimes we
have revealed. No one should be above international law, especially when crimes
against humanity are at stake. The urgent need for justice is long overdue.”
[2]
The
extensive criminal complaint runs to in excess of 500 pages, and documents the
cases of 35 Saudi journalists who have been imprisoned or killed whilst
reporting in Saudi Arabia.
The
co-accused of the Crown Prince include his close confidant Saud al-Qahtani;
Ahmad Asiri, a man under US sanctions and who allegedly oversaw Khashoggi’s
murder; Mohammad al-Otaibi, the Consul General in Istanbul in 2018; and Maher
Mutreb, an intelligence agent accused of orchestrating the torture of
Khashoggi.
Of the 35
journalists listed in the court case, Jamal Khashoggi stands alone as being the
one individual who was murdered by the Saudi authorities, whilst 33 are
journalists who have been detained and remain behind bars in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman
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In a statement on the Reporters without Borders website, the advocacy group said:
“The five
suspects identified in the complaint are fully responsible. Pursuant to the German
Code of Crimes against International law (VStGB), the complaint shows that
these journalists are the victims of multiple counts of crimes against
humanity, including willful killing, torture, sexual violence and coercion,
enforced disappearance, unlawful deprivation of physical liberty, and
persecution.” [2]
The
organisation has chosen Germany to launch its legal case as the country
benefits from having legislation that allows for jurisdiction over
international crimes. A similar use of the law has led to the recent sentencing
of a former Assad security operative Eyad al-Gharib. [3]
After the
release of the 2018 intelligence report, the Biden administration was chastised
for not taking decisive action against the Saudi Crown Prince, with White House
Press Secretary instead saying:
“We believe
there are more effective ways to make sure that this doesn’t happen again and
also to leave room to work with the Saudis on areas where there is mutual
agreement…” [4]
Reporters
without Borders hopes that by initiating this criminal lawsuit in Germany, the
Public Prosecutor General will open a “situation analysis” on the issue, “with
a view to formally launching a prosecutorial investigation and issuing arrest
warrants.” [2]
أعمالكم عُمَالكم ، وكما تكونوا يولى عليكم
“Your
leaders are your deeds. As you are, so shall your leaders be.”
(Cited by
Al-Hasan al-Basri)
Notes:
[1]
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/mar/02/criminal-complaint-filed-against-mohammed-bin-salman-in-german-court
[2] https://rsf.org/en/news/groundbreaking-rsf-complaint-holds-crown-prince-and-other-saudi-officials-responsible-khashoggi
[3]
https://www.islam21c.com/news-views/germany-syrian-ex-intelligence-colonel-culpable-as-accomplice-to-crimes-against-humanity/
[4] https://www.cnbc.com/2021/02/28/white-house-defends-decision-not-to-punish-saudi-crown-prince-mbs.html
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Original
Headline: Reporters without Borders lawsuit: MBS “responsible for crimes
against humanity”
Source: The Islam21