A Saudi top official dismissed what was seen as a death threat against UN independent investigator Agnès Callamard following her investigation into the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
In an interview with the Guardian, the outgoing special rapporteur for the murder of a criminal said a DA colleague warned her in January 2020 that a Saudi top official had twice threatened in a meeting with a senior Other DA officials in Geneva that month urged Callamard to “be careful of” if the UN did not intervene.
Asked how his Geneva-based colleagues perceived the idea, Callamard said: “Danger of death. That’s how it was understood. “
French national and human rights expert Callamard, who this month takes up his new role as general secretary of Amnesty International, is the first official to conduct a public inquiry and publish a detailed report on the 2018 murder of Khashoggi, a former famous celebrity who used his column at the Washington Post to write critically about the Saudi government.
Callamard’s 100-page report, published in June 2019, found “credible evidence” that Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman and other senior Saudi officials were responsible for the killings, and announced the murder as an “international crime”. The Biden administration has since released its own unsubstantiated report, which awaited Prince Mohammed’s consent to the assassination. The Saudi government has denied that the killings, which took place at a Saudi consulate in Istanbul, were ordered by the future king.
The Guardian independently confirmed Callamard ‘s account of the January 2020 program.
The alleged threats were made, she said, at a “high-level” meeting between Saudi diplomas based in Geneva, visiting Saudi officials and UN officials in Geneva. During the exchange, Callamard was told, they criticized her work on Khashoggi’s murder, recording the anger about her investigation and her conclusions. Saudi officials also raised unfounded claims that she received money from Qatar – often denying against critics of the Saudi government.
Callamard said one of the top Saudi officials visiting him said he had received phone calls from people willing to “take care of her”.
When UN officials expressed fear, other Saudis present tried to reassure them that the idea should not be taken seriously. The Saudi group then left the room but, Callamard was told, the visiting Saudi chief remained, and again the accused threatened the UN officials. left in the room.
In particular, the visiting official said that he knew people who had offered to “take care of the matter if you did not do so”.
“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, ”said Callamard.
While Callamard has talked in the past about the dangers that have plagued his work as a special relative, including Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte, details of the threat are revealed. Saudi accused in the Guardian for the first time.
The development may support the view of human rights experts that the Saudi Arabian government has been involved in a ban on the Khashoggi assassination in 2018, including through the irregular arrest of critics of the prince, as well as his potential political rivals.
The Saudi government did not respond to e-mail requests for comment, which the Guardian sent to the Saudi foreign ministry, the Saudi embassy in London and the Saudi embassy in Washington.
“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 hasn’t stopped me from working in a way that I think is right, “Callamard said.