Amid Outrage Over Yemen War Crimes and Khashoggi Murder, Argentina Prosecutors Considering Charges A

[Judi Lynn]

Published on
Tuesday, November 27, 2018
by Common Dreams

Amid Outrage Over Yemen War Crimes and Khashoggi Murder, Argentina Prosecutors Considering Charges Against Saudi Crown Prince

"The crown prince's attendance at the G20 Summit in Buenos Aires could make the Argentine courts an avenue of redress for victims of abuses unable to seek justice in Yemen or Saudi Arabia."

by Julia Conley, staff writer

At the behest of human rights advocates, Argentinian prosecutors are considering bringing criminal charges against Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS), days before he is set to arrive in Buenos Aires for the G20 summit, alleging that he has committed war crimes in Yemen.

Citing Argentina's robust human rights law, Human Right Watch (HRW) filed a petition on Monday asking a federal prosecutor to bring charges against the crown prince, a close ally of President Donald Trump, for "violations of international law committed during the armed conflict in Yemen" including the killings of more than 15,000 civilians and blockades which have pushed 14 million people to the brink of famine.

"Argentine prosecutorial authorities should scrutinize Mohammed bin Salman's role in possible war crimes committed by the Saudi-led coalition since 2015 in Yemen," said Kenneth Roth, executive director of HRW, in a statement. "The crown prince's attendance at the G20 Summit in Buenos Aires could make the Argentine courts an avenue of redress for victims of abuses unable to seek justice in Yemen or Saudi Arabia."

Argentina observes universal jurisdiction, giving prosecutors the right to bring charges against officials suspected of war crimes and torture, regardless of where the crimes took place.

More:
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2018/11/27/amid-outrage-over-yemen-war-crimes-and-khashoggi-murder-argentina-prosecutors

[RainCaster]

1. Dream on- signed, A Skeptic

It's a great idea, but no government will ever get behind it including Argentina's.

[sandensea]

2. True, sadly. Least of all Argentina's current regime.

Macri, a right-winger strongly supported by Narco Rubio and far-right exile groups, considers human rights "a scam."

His family made most of its fortune during Argentina 1976-83 regime. As president, Macri has appointed numerous dictatorship officials/supporters, and has tried to reverse much of the Human Rights progress secured by his center-left predecessors (whom he's been trying to jail on trumped-up charges, no pun intended).

Over 200 convicted dictatorship-era torturers and murderers have been quietly moved from jail to house arrest under Macri, to cite just one example.

Macri, moreover, has been ingratiating himself with both Trump and Bibi, such that he's unlikely to approve any moves to arrest MBS (an close ally of both, as you know).

And of course, even if Macri did allow the arrest order to go forward (he controls Judge Lijo, after all), I doubt the Saudis, who are always armed to the teeth, would allow it.