By Martin Cole-
The European Parliament urged the European Union member states to impose an arms embargo on Saudi Arabia over the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and the war in Yemen.
The EU arms export report adopted on Thursday, EU lawmakers urge all members of the bloc to “follow the example of Germany, Finland and Denmark, which, after the killing of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi adopted restrictions on their arms exports to Saudi Arabia”.
The document also points out that arms exported to Saudi Arabia, the UAE, as well as other members of the Saudi-led coalition in the Yemen war, had been used in the country, “where 22 million people find themselves in need of humanitarian aid and protection”.
The report said the aim was to impose similar sanctions to prevent further civilian suffering in the Yemen conflict.
Khashoggi, was killed and dismembered by a group of Saudi operatives after he entered the country’s consulate in the Turkish city of Istanbul in October 2018 to collect documents to enable him to marry his fiancee.
The former columnist for Middle East Eye and the Washington Post was strangled and his body cut into pieces by a 15-man Saudi hit squad inside the consulate, to Turkish officials said at the time of his killing. His remains have not been found.
All eyes were directed towards the Saudi Royal Family for answers, because the prince was believed to have ordered the killing, though no solid evidence linking him to the killings exists.
Earlier this month, the Riyadh Criminal Court commuted death sentences and handed down prison terms of up to 20 years to those convicted of his killing, saying they had been pardoned by the journalist’s family. They were sentenced to death last year.
The verdict comes after Khashoggi’s sons said in May they had “pardoned” the killers- move condemned as a “parody of justice” by a The case was said to be lacking an issue of transparency and accountability.