Saudi Testimony On Yemen Should Be Treated As Critically As Explanations On Khashoggi- HRW

Fakhir Rizvi Published November 14, 2018 | 10:26 PM

Riyadh's statements on Yemen, where Saudi-led coalition is backing the government against a rebel movement, should be treated just as critically as its explanations regarding the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Bruno Stagno-Ugarte, the deputy executive director for advocacy at Human Rights Watch, told Sputnik.

PARIS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 14th November, 2018) Riyadh's statements on Yemen, where Saudi-led coalition is backing the government against a rebel movement, should be treated just as critically as its explanations regarding the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Bruno Stagno-Ugarte, the deputy executive director for advocacy at Human Rights Watch, told Sputnik.

Khashoggi, a long-term critic of the Saudi policies, disappeared on October 2 after entering the Saudi consulate. Saudi Arabia's acknowledgment that the journalist had been killed in a fight inside the consulate came after two weeks of denials and growing pressure from the Western allies to provide explanations. Turkey, which has conducted a separate probe into the case, claims that Khashoggi was assassinated by a hit squad sent from Saudi Arabia.

"If we don't believe the Saudi stories vis-a-vis Jamal Khashoggi, why would we want to believe the Saudi stories vis-a-vis the alleged war crimes committed in Yemen?" Stagno-Ugarte said.

The conflict in Yemen, where the coalition is carrying out airstrikes against the Houthi movement, has led to a dire humanitarian situation. Civilians are facing food shortages and disease outbreaks.

Rights groups, including HRW, have criticized the coalition's campaign in Yemen over its contribution to the suffering of the civilian population.

In late October, the European Parliament passed a resolution condemning the killing of Khashoggi and urging for an EU arms embargo on Saudi Arabia.

UN experts found that war crimes may have been committed by all sides in the conflict, according to the report issued in August.