The United Kingdom should completely reconsider its relations with Saudi Arabia and put an end to the kingdom's impunity with regard to human rights violations in light of the Khashoggi affair, Rodney Andrews, the spokesman for the Arab Organisation for Human Rights in the United Kingdom, told Sputnik.
LONDON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 26th October, 2018) The United Kingdom should completely reconsider its relations with Saudi Arabia and put an end to the kingdom's impunity with regard to human rights violations in light of the Khashoggi affair, Rodney Andrews, the spokesman for the Arab Organisation for Human Rights in the United Kingdom, told Sputnik.
On Thursday, about 150 people gathered outside the Saudi Embassy in London to demand complete review of London's relations with Riyadh over the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul and the kingdom's bloody campaign in Yemen.
"People have come here to protest against the war in Yemen, against the disappearance and murder of Jamal Khashoggi and to say we want an end to Saudi impunity. We want it now as a matter of necessity ... As a UK citizen and as someone who has the right to vote in this country I'm protesting not only for Jamal and Yemen but for a complete divestment and a complete reconsideration of the relationship we have with Saudi Arabia," Andrews stressed.
The activist indicated that the UK reaction to the Khashoggi case was hardly strong enough and called for the complete boycott of the Saudis in the United Kingdom.
"We are funding them ... since the start of the war in Yemen 4.7 billion [pounds ($6 billion)] has been licensed in arms sales. We justify and rationalize our relationship through the lens of security, which is extremely problematic given Saudi Arabia's impact and influence in Syria, in Yemen ... and the tangible link between the state of Saudi Arabia and the growth of terrorism in the middle East ... We need a complete divestment and boycott of Saudi Arabia in this country," Andrews indicated.
He added that the international community was silent about Saudi Arabia's actions in Yemen because it was of little interest to the international powers due to the lack of natural resources or any other benefits for them in the country. But the Khashoggi affair turned out to be a real human story and, therefore, attracted public attention, he believed.
"I think [Khashoggi's death] so brazenly violates diplomatic and international norms. This case happened in Turkey, which is on the doorstep of Europe. Jamal was living in the US, he was writing for the Washington Post one of the leading newspapers in the United States he was a public figure with 1.6 million followers on Twitter. So the way they conducted the operation and murdered him was a real human story," Andrews indicated.
Khashoggi, known for his criticism of Saudi policies, was last seen entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2. Following more than two weeks of denials, Saudi Arabia admitted on October 19 that the journalist had been killed in a brawl inside the consulate. According to Riyadh, 18 people have been arrested over their suspected involvement in the incident. On Thursday, the Saudi prosecutor general admitted that the journalist's murder had been orchestrated in advance.
The journalist's murder strengthened the voices of rights activists in the United Kingdom, who have earlier called on the UK authorities to provide tough response to Saudi Arabia's violations of human rights, in particular, in Yemen, where the Saudi-led coalition's airstrikes frequently target peaceful inhabitants and civilian infrastructure.
