‘West needs to cut all ties with Saudi Arabia’

The West needs to cut all its ties with Saudi Arabia, urged British journalist and broadcaster Mehdi Hasan on Monday at a debate organized by Intelligence Squared in London.

“Tonight we come together to demand accountability, to demand justice, to demand an end to impunity, an end to economic and political blackmail,” he said.

Recently, Saudi abuses have been coming under increased scrutiny, including human rights violations committed in the Yemen war, following the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi last October.

“Let's not forget these people tonight: Loujain, Israa, Raif, Amal, Jamal - people who have been killed dismembered, tortured, flogged, imprisoned, starved, sexually assaulted at the hands of our ally, our close friend the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist and columnist for The Washington Post, went missing after entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul in early October.

After initially saying he had left the consulate alive, Saudi Arabia admitted weeks later that he was killed there, blaming his death on a group of rogue Saudi operatives.

“Tonight it’s time we make clear that the West needs to cut its ties with Saudi Arabia, especially military ties, arms exports, weapons, bombs,” Hassan implored.

Riyadh and Abu Dhabi gave al-Qaeda and other terrorists in Yemen U.S.-made weapons through the coalition they spearhead in the Arab Peninsula country, CNN reported on Monday.

The weapons reportedly fell into the hands of Iranian-backed Houthi rebels groups fighting the coalition in Yemen, which could mean that they are at risk of being reverse-engineered for intelligence by Tehran.

"Asking Saudi Arabia to lead the fight against terrorism is like asking the mafia to lead the fight against organized crime," Hasan concluded.

Additionally, three British lawmakers on Monday endorsed reports that women activists detained in Saudi Arabia have been tortured, and said responsibility for what is likely a violation of international law could lie with "Saudi authorities at the highest level".

The conclusions of the panel indicate growing uneasiness among Western allies with alleged rights abuses under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.