Dec 07, 2021
A former top United Nations human rights official expressed hope Tuesday that the arrest of one of the Saudi suspects in the 2018 killing of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi would "be a major breakthrough in the quest for justice" as the suspect was held in judicial detention in France.
Khalid Aedh al-Otaibi, a former member of the Royal Guard of Saudi Arabia who was identified as a suspect in the murder in a U.N. report, was reportedly arrested at Charles de Gaulle Airport as he was boarding a flight to Riyadh.
Agnes Callamard, the secretary general of Amnesty International and a former special rapporteur on extrajudicial killings at the U.N. who authored the report released in 2019, said that "more confirmation is required" about the arrest but that the detained person is believed to have been involved in Khashoggi's killing.
\u201cThis could be a major breakthrough in the quest for justice for #JamalKhashoggi but more confirmation required. If it is indeed the same person as that named by various sanctions lists and my report, then he was at the Consulate Residence at the time. https://t.co/IQzWqi8nX1\u201d— Agnes Callamard (@Agnes Callamard) 1638896000
The arrest comes amid widespread criticism by human rights advocates of French President Emmanuel Macron's meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom's defense minister, in recent days.
Macron's recent meeting with bin Salman--commonly called MBS-- in Saudi Arabia is the first by a leader of a major Western country since Khashoggi was killed at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in what both the U.N. and a U.S. investigation concluded was a state-sponsored execution that had the approval of the prince. Bin Salman has denied involvement and the Saudi government has claimed the killing was a "rogue operation."
"Nothing can justify their legitimization of a ruler who kills journalists, threatens activists, imprisons women human rights defenders, slaughters Yemeni civilians, and deceives the international community. Macron diminishes himself and his own country as he stoops to partnership with MBS," Callamard said last week.
Al-Otaibi's arrest could send a "message to MBS that he may also face arrest if he turns up in Paris," said Sarah Leah Whitson, executive director of Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN), which was founded by Khashoggi in 2018.
\u201cBREAKING: One of the #Saudi henchmen who helped murder #JamalKhashoggi -- Khaled al-Otaibi - has been arrested in #France. \n\nGood message to MBS that he may also face arrest if he turns up in Paris, @EmmanuelMacron love fest notwithstanding!\n\nhttps://t.co/zB5lDVVbdw\u201d— Sarah Leah Whitson (@Sarah Leah Whitson) 1638892824
The arrest is the first of anyone accused of participating in the murder, outside of Saudi Arabia. A Saudi court convicted eight people who remained anonymous in the case in 2019, in a trial that Callamard called "the antithesis of justice."
Al-Otaibi was seen with bin Salman in the U.S. during the prince's trip there in 2017. In her report, Callamard identified him as one of the officials who was at the consul general's residence--located next to the consulate in Istanbul--when Khashoggi was killed.
While he may not have been present when Khashoggi was killed, Callamard toldThe Guardian Tuesday, al-Otaibi "would be one of those who could provide information on the location of the body."
According toThe Guardian, al-Otaibi was expected to appear before a judge late on Tuesday. The court is expected to give him the choice of contesting the arrest and staying in custody while he awaits extradition or being immediately sent to Turkey, where he is one of 26 Saudis sought by authorities.
Join Us: Everything is on the Line
The future of all that we cherish is on the line and we have to fight like hell to protect democracy, human decency, and a liveable planet. The last line of defense is people who understand what’s at stake—activists, writers, thinkers, doers, and everyday people who see what is happening, know in their hearts that a better world is possible, and are willing to fight for it. You are one of the good people Common Dreams was built for. We provide independent news, progressive opinion, and crucial analysis on the day’s most important issues. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. But to keep publishing and remain strong in these dangerous times, we need your support. So we’re asking you today: Will you donate to our Fall Campaign and keep the progressive, nonprofit journalism of Common Dreams alive? |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
A former top United Nations human rights official expressed hope Tuesday that the arrest of one of the Saudi suspects in the 2018 killing of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi would "be a major breakthrough in the quest for justice" as the suspect was held in judicial detention in France.
Khalid Aedh al-Otaibi, a former member of the Royal Guard of Saudi Arabia who was identified as a suspect in the murder in a U.N. report, was reportedly arrested at Charles de Gaulle Airport as he was boarding a flight to Riyadh.
Agnes Callamard, the secretary general of Amnesty International and a former special rapporteur on extrajudicial killings at the U.N. who authored the report released in 2019, said that "more confirmation is required" about the arrest but that the detained person is believed to have been involved in Khashoggi's killing.
\u201cThis could be a major breakthrough in the quest for justice for #JamalKhashoggi but more confirmation required. If it is indeed the same person as that named by various sanctions lists and my report, then he was at the Consulate Residence at the time. https://t.co/IQzWqi8nX1\u201d— Agnes Callamard (@Agnes Callamard) 1638896000
The arrest comes amid widespread criticism by human rights advocates of French President Emmanuel Macron's meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom's defense minister, in recent days.
Macron's recent meeting with bin Salman--commonly called MBS-- in Saudi Arabia is the first by a leader of a major Western country since Khashoggi was killed at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in what both the U.N. and a U.S. investigation concluded was a state-sponsored execution that had the approval of the prince. Bin Salman has denied involvement and the Saudi government has claimed the killing was a "rogue operation."
"Nothing can justify their legitimization of a ruler who kills journalists, threatens activists, imprisons women human rights defenders, slaughters Yemeni civilians, and deceives the international community. Macron diminishes himself and his own country as he stoops to partnership with MBS," Callamard said last week.
Al-Otaibi's arrest could send a "message to MBS that he may also face arrest if he turns up in Paris," said Sarah Leah Whitson, executive director of Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN), which was founded by Khashoggi in 2018.
\u201cBREAKING: One of the #Saudi henchmen who helped murder #JamalKhashoggi -- Khaled al-Otaibi - has been arrested in #France. \n\nGood message to MBS that he may also face arrest if he turns up in Paris, @EmmanuelMacron love fest notwithstanding!\n\nhttps://t.co/zB5lDVVbdw\u201d— Sarah Leah Whitson (@Sarah Leah Whitson) 1638892824
The arrest is the first of anyone accused of participating in the murder, outside of Saudi Arabia. A Saudi court convicted eight people who remained anonymous in the case in 2019, in a trial that Callamard called "the antithesis of justice."
Al-Otaibi was seen with bin Salman in the U.S. during the prince's trip there in 2017. In her report, Callamard identified him as one of the officials who was at the consul general's residence--located next to the consulate in Istanbul--when Khashoggi was killed.
While he may not have been present when Khashoggi was killed, Callamard toldThe Guardian Tuesday, al-Otaibi "would be one of those who could provide information on the location of the body."
According toThe Guardian, al-Otaibi was expected to appear before a judge late on Tuesday. The court is expected to give him the choice of contesting the arrest and staying in custody while he awaits extradition or being immediately sent to Turkey, where he is one of 26 Saudis sought by authorities.
A former top United Nations human rights official expressed hope Tuesday that the arrest of one of the Saudi suspects in the 2018 killing of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi would "be a major breakthrough in the quest for justice" as the suspect was held in judicial detention in France.
Khalid Aedh al-Otaibi, a former member of the Royal Guard of Saudi Arabia who was identified as a suspect in the murder in a U.N. report, was reportedly arrested at Charles de Gaulle Airport as he was boarding a flight to Riyadh.
Agnes Callamard, the secretary general of Amnesty International and a former special rapporteur on extrajudicial killings at the U.N. who authored the report released in 2019, said that "more confirmation is required" about the arrest but that the detained person is believed to have been involved in Khashoggi's killing.
\u201cThis could be a major breakthrough in the quest for justice for #JamalKhashoggi but more confirmation required. If it is indeed the same person as that named by various sanctions lists and my report, then he was at the Consulate Residence at the time. https://t.co/IQzWqi8nX1\u201d— Agnes Callamard (@Agnes Callamard) 1638896000
The arrest comes amid widespread criticism by human rights advocates of French President Emmanuel Macron's meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom's defense minister, in recent days.
Macron's recent meeting with bin Salman--commonly called MBS-- in Saudi Arabia is the first by a leader of a major Western country since Khashoggi was killed at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in what both the U.N. and a U.S. investigation concluded was a state-sponsored execution that had the approval of the prince. Bin Salman has denied involvement and the Saudi government has claimed the killing was a "rogue operation."
"Nothing can justify their legitimization of a ruler who kills journalists, threatens activists, imprisons women human rights defenders, slaughters Yemeni civilians, and deceives the international community. Macron diminishes himself and his own country as he stoops to partnership with MBS," Callamard said last week.
Al-Otaibi's arrest could send a "message to MBS that he may also face arrest if he turns up in Paris," said Sarah Leah Whitson, executive director of Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN), which was founded by Khashoggi in 2018.
\u201cBREAKING: One of the #Saudi henchmen who helped murder #JamalKhashoggi -- Khaled al-Otaibi - has been arrested in #France. \n\nGood message to MBS that he may also face arrest if he turns up in Paris, @EmmanuelMacron love fest notwithstanding!\n\nhttps://t.co/zB5lDVVbdw\u201d— Sarah Leah Whitson (@Sarah Leah Whitson) 1638892824
The arrest is the first of anyone accused of participating in the murder, outside of Saudi Arabia. A Saudi court convicted eight people who remained anonymous in the case in 2019, in a trial that Callamard called "the antithesis of justice."
Al-Otaibi was seen with bin Salman in the U.S. during the prince's trip there in 2017. In her report, Callamard identified him as one of the officials who was at the consul general's residence--located next to the consulate in Istanbul--when Khashoggi was killed.
While he may not have been present when Khashoggi was killed, Callamard toldThe Guardian Tuesday, al-Otaibi "would be one of those who could provide information on the location of the body."
According toThe Guardian, al-Otaibi was expected to appear before a judge late on Tuesday. The court is expected to give him the choice of contesting the arrest and staying in custody while he awaits extradition or being immediately sent to Turkey, where he is one of 26 Saudis sought by authorities.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.