The former Saudi man threatened twice that Agnes Callamard would be ‘taken care of’ in a meeting with DA colleagues in January 2020, the Guardian reports.
A senior official has issued a death threat against DA investigator Agnes Callamard following her investigation into the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the Guardian reported Tuesday.
In an interview with a British newspaper, the outgoing special rapporteur on further killings, minutes and irregularities said that a UN colleague warned her in January 2020 that a Saudi official that name threatened twice in a meeting with other senior UN officials in Geneva that Callamard would be “taken care of”.
She said the comments were understood as a “death threat” by her colleagues.
Callamard, a French national, will join human rights watchdog Amnesty International as secretary general this month, according to the news report.
She was the first official to investigate the murder of Washington Post columnist Khashoggi, who was killed by Saudi representatives at the state consulate in Istanbul in October 2018, and published a detailed report.
Khashoggi was a royal defender who often wrote critically about the Saudi government.
In a 100-page report published in June 2019, Callamard said Khashoggi’s death was “an unlawful killing for which the state of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is responsible”.
The report also said Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) should be investigated for the murder.
Last month, a U.S. non-classified intelligence report was also awaiting MBS’s approval and apparently ordering Khashoggi’s murder. The Saudi government rejected “the report’s negative, misleading and inappropriate assessment”.
Saudi Arabia has claimed that Khashoggi was killed in a “fraudulent activity” by agents and Prince Mohammed has denied it.
‘Take care of her’
Callamard told the Guardian that the threats against her were made at a “high-profile” meeting between Saudi diplomas based in Geneva, visiting Saudi officials, and DA officials in Switzerland.
She was told that the Saudis had criticized her work on the Khashoggi probe, expressing anger about her investigation and its findings, the Guardian said.
Saudi officials also said she received money from Qatar, an accusation often used against critics of the Saudi government.
Callamard said one of the top Saudi officials visiting then has said he received phone calls from individuals who were willing to “take care of her,” the newspaper said.
When UN officials expressed fear, other Saudis present tried to reassure them that the idea should not be heeded.
The Saudi group then left the room but the visiting Saudi chief remained, and again the threat to the remaining UN officials in the room, tell Callamard.
A Saudi official said he knew people who offered to “take care of the matter if you don’t”.
“I was told at the time and this was one time where the United Nations was very strong on that issue.” Attendees, and also afterwards, made it clear to the Saudi delegation that this was completely inappropriate and that it was expected that this should not go any further, ”Callamard told the Guardian.
The Saudi government did not respond to the press report.
“You know, those threats don’t work for me.” Well, I don’t want to call it more threats. But I have to do what I have to do. It didn’t stop me from working in a way that I think is right, “Callamard was quoted as saying.
Al Jazeera called Callamard for comment but did not receive an immediate response Tuesday.
Demonstrators demand justice for Jamal Khashoggi outside the White House in Washington, DC [File: Ola Salem/Al Jazeera]