EU rebukes Saudi Arabia over human rights abuses at UN forum
EU rebukes Saudi Arabia over human rights abuses at UN forum
EU countries have issued a statement condemning Saudi Arabia over human rights abuses.
2 min read
Saudi Arabia is getting flak in the UN [Getty]
At least 36 countries, including all members of the European Union, signed a statement rebuking Saudi Arabia over its human rights record, at a UN meeting on Thursday.
The statement was read out by Iceland's ambassador to the UN, Harald Aspelund, at the United Nations Human Rights Council meeting on Thursday.
"We call on Saudi Arabia to take meaningful steps to ensure that all members of the public, including human rights defenders and journalists, can fully and freely exercise their rights to freedom of expression, opinion and association, including online, and without fear of reprisals," the statement said.
The was the first rebuke of Saudi Arabia since the United Nations Human Rights Council was formed in 2006.
It follows growing criticism of Saudi Arabia in Europe, following the high civilian death toll in the Yemen war and the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul last year.
Germany has led the European protests - which has faced some resistance from the UK and France - against Saudi Arabia, with Berlin on Wednesday extending an export ban on German arms to Riyadh.
"It is a success for Europe to be united on this," one EU country envoy told Reuters.
UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet called on Riyadh to release Saudi women's rights activists, who have been reportedly tortured and sexually assaulted in detention.
Much of Europe was also outraged by the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in October, by a hit squad allegedly sent over to Turkey by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The statement was read out by Iceland's ambassador to the UN, Harald Aspelund, at the United Nations Human Rights Council meeting on Thursday.
"We call on Saudi Arabia to take meaningful steps to ensure that all members of the public, including human rights defenders and journalists, can fully and freely exercise their rights to freedom of expression, opinion and association, including online, and without fear of reprisals," the statement said.
The was the first rebuke of Saudi Arabia since the United Nations Human Rights Council was formed in 2006.
It follows growing criticism of Saudi Arabia in Europe, following the high civilian death toll in the Yemen war and the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul last year.
Germany has led the European protests - which has faced some resistance from the UK and France - against Saudi Arabia, with Berlin on Wednesday extending an export ban on German arms to Riyadh.
"It is a success for Europe to be united on this," one EU country envoy told Reuters.
UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet called on Riyadh to release Saudi women's rights activists, who have been reportedly tortured and sexually assaulted in detention.
Much of Europe was also outraged by the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in October, by a hit squad allegedly sent over to Turkey by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The young prince is also said to be the architect of the Saudi-led intervention of the Yemen war, which has killed at least 10,000 people and created the world's worst humanitarian crisis.
There is a belief that the different foreign policy concerns of each EU member will make it difficult for a comprehensive and unified response to Saudi human rights abuses.
"Many fear that the EU will once again prove that its foreign common policy remains an illusion and that once again, their conflicting interests will strongly affect the final decision (if any), contributing to the widespread belief of EU impotence," Stasa Salacanin wrote in The New Arab.
There is a belief that the different foreign policy concerns of each EU member will make it difficult for a comprehensive and unified response to Saudi human rights abuses.
"Many fear that the EU will once again prove that its foreign common policy remains an illusion and that once again, their conflicting interests will strongly affect the final decision (if any), contributing to the widespread belief of EU impotence," Stasa Salacanin wrote in The New Arab.
![Palestine sat next to member states at the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday [GETTY]](/sites/default/files/styles/image_684x385/public/1441455581.jpeg?h=199d8c1f&itok=CgJaFY6v)
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