Argentine judge moves to investigate Saudi crown prince
Information sought over Human Rights Watch accusations ahead of G20 summit
An Argentine judge has taken the first moves towards opening an investigation into Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman after he was accused of war crimes and torture by Human Rights Watch, a non-governmental organisation.
The judge asked Argentina’s foreign ministry on Wednesday to request information from Turkey, Yemen and the International Criminal Court as to whether there were any legal proceedings already under way regarding the accusations against Prince Mohammed.
Human Rights Watch asked Argentina on Monday to use a war crimes clause in its constitution to investigate any involvement by Prince Mohammed in possible crimes against humanity in Yemen as well as the recent gruesome death of the Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey.
The judge has also asked the Argentine foreign ministry to clarify the diplomatic status for leaders visiting Buenos Aires this week for the annual summit of leaders of the G20 leading economies.
An official at the foreign ministry confirmed to the Financial Times that Prince Mohammed, who arrived in Argentina on Tuesday, enjoyed diplomatic immunity as leader of his country’s delegation, and therefore cannot be detained. The official also observed that any legal proceedings would need to be elevated to Argentina’s Supreme Court.
Local observers pointed to the irony that attempts were being made to prosecute Prince Mohammed in Argentina, a country whose legal system is notoriously ineffectual and slow-moving, at best, and politicised and corrupt, at worst.
“The Argentine judiciary, by taking steps toward a formal investigation, is sending a clear message that even powerful officials like Mohammed bin Salman are not above the law and will be scrutinised if implicated in grave international crimes,” said Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch.
“A cloud of suspicion will loom over him as he tries to rebuild his shattered reputation at the G20, and world leaders would do well to think twice before posing for pictures next to someone who may come under investigation for war crimes and torture,” he added.
World leaders will gather in Buenos Aires on Friday for a two-day summit expected to be attended by presidents including Donald Trump of the US, China’s Xi Jinping and Russia’s Vladimir Putin.
A Saudi-led coalition intervened in Yemen’s civil war in March 2015 after Iran-aligned Houthi rebels seized Sana’a, the capital.
Saudi Arabia insists it is backing the legitimate government and accuses Iran of fuelling the conflict and arming the Houthis. But the coalition has been widely criticised for the high civilian death toll and is blamed for exacerbating what aid groups describe as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
A UN panel of experts said in August that the Saudi-led coalition was responsible for violations that may amount to war crimes, including bomb attacks on civilian targets such as hospitals, schools, homes and markets, that have claimed thousands of lives.