President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday condemned the “heinous” killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, saying that the case is a great litmus test for the self-proclaimed defenders of human rights, particularly in Europe and the United States.
“The stance of the US, Europe, and other countries on this issue will show how sensitive they are about human rights and preserving human dignity,” Rouhani told a Cabinet meeting in Tehran, his official website reported.
Saudi Arabia initially denied knowledge of the fate of Khashoggi, a US-based journalist who vanished on Oct. 2 after entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, but said on Saturday that he died in the facility.
The kingdom is facing mounting pressure and skepticism both internationally and at home over the explanation that the journalist was killed accidentally by rogue officers in a “fist fight”.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has denied he knew about the killing of Khashoggi, 59, who was critical of Saudi rulers and their policies.
> True Colors
Rouhani said governments’ response to the incident will show their true colors and criticized the double standards of certain countries on human rights.
“We should wait and see the reaction of the self-styled defenders of human rights on this issue,” he added. “Should the world believe your slogans in defense of human rights or you saying that you won’t comment on this issue because of $450 billion?”
He was referring to the fact that US President Donald Trump brought money into the picture soon after Khashoggi disappeared.
Trump has said he expects answers about the case of Khashoggi but also insists that he has no plan to tear up an arms sales deal that his administration spearheaded last year because it would cost the United States jobs.
“I don’t want to lose all of that investment being made into our country. I don’t want to lose a million jobs, I don’t want to lose $110 billion dollars in terms of investment,” Trump was quoted by CNN as telling reporters on Monday. “But it’s really $450 billion if you include other than military. So that’s very important.”
> American Protection
The president said he believes that Washington’s support emboldened Riyadh to carry out the killing.
“No one would imagine that in today’s world and a new century, we would witness such an organized murder and a system would plan such a heinous killing. I don’t think that a country would dare commit such a crime without the protection of America,” he said.
He said US protection has also allowed Saudi Arabia to carry out “brutal” bombings against civilians in Yemen, which has been embroiled in a deadly conflict for years.
The president called on the Turkish government to impartially investigate the killing of Khashoggi, which has been “unprecedented” in recent decades, so that the truth can be revealed.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said the Saudi journalist was killed in a “savage” pre-planned murder at the consulate, directly contradicting the Saudi kingdom's account of Khashoggi’s death.
