In the wake of the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Amnesty International staged a public stunt outside the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Ottawa on November 8, highlighting the Saudi government’s brutal crackdown on critics and activists.
Amnesty posted signs outside the embassy that read “Journalists: Proceed with Caution,” after Khashoggi was killed inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on October 2.
But this is only the latest atrocity in Saudi Arabia’s growing list of human rights violations. A Saudi-led coalition has shown no signs of backing down from its relentless war against Yemen, which has killed thousands of innocent civilians and left more than eight million on the brink of starvation. Canada remains complicit in this war, as the federal government has yet to announce it will halt a $15-billion arms trade deal with Saudi Arabia. Moreover, leading Saudi feminists remain detained without charge, and some continue to be held incommunicado, for speaking up for women’s rights, following a pattern of silencing dissent that is typical of the Saudi regime.
This photo-op follows a similar public stunt in the UK, where Amnesty International renamed a section of the road outside the Saudi Arabian embassy as “Khashoggi Street.”
Meanwhile, more than 170,000 people – including 18,440 Canadians – have signed an Amnesty International petition calling for the UN to independently investigate Khashoggi’s murder.
Photos and b-roll of the signs available upon request.
Twitter link (with photo) available here: https://twitter.com/AmnestyNow/status/1060566998848061440
For more information, or to arrange an interview, please contact:
Lucy Scholey
Media and External Communications Officer
Amnesty International Canada
W: 613-744-7667 ext. 236
C: 613-853-2142
