Controversies
editMilitary interventions
edit
On 10 January 2016, The Independent reported that "the BND, the German intelligence agency, portrayed...Saudi defence minister and Deputy Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman...as a political gambler who is destabilising the Arab world through proxy wars in Yemen and Syria."[1][2][3][4] German officials reacted to the BND’s memo, saying the published statement "is not the position of the federal government".[5]
Mohammad bin Salman leads the Saudi-led intervention in Yemen against the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, who in 2015 seized Sana’a and ousted the government, ending multilateral efforts towards a political settlement following the 2011 Yemeni uprising.[6][7][8] Coalition airstrikes during the intervention have resulted in thousands of civilians killed or injured.[9] Following a Houthi missile attack against Riyadh in December 2017, which was intercepted by Saudi air defense, airstrikes killed 136 Yemeni civilians and injured 87 others in eleven days.[10][11] In August 2018, the UN reported that all parties in the conflict were responsible for human rights violations and for actions which could be considered war crimes.[12]
So far, the war and blockade of Yemen has already cost the kingdom tens of billions of dollars, further aggravated the humanitarian crisis in the country and destroyed much of Yemen's infrastructure, but failed to dislodge the Shiite Houthi rebels and their allies from the Yemeni capital.[13][14][1] On 28 March 2018, Saudi Arabia, along with its coalition partner the UAE, donated $930 million USD to the United Nations which, according to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, "...(will) help to alleviate the suffering of millions of vulnerable people across Yemen". The funds cover almost one-third of the $2.96 billion required to implement the UN's 2018 Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan.[15]
In August 2018, a report by The Intercept cited unnamed sources claiming that former US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson had in June 2017 intervened to stop a Saudi-Emirati plan to invade Qatar, resulting in increased pressure from Saudi Arabia and the UAE for his removal from office.[16]
Human rights
editAccording to human rights groups, arrests of human rights activists have risen under Mohammed bin Salman.[17]
Among those detained in a wave of arrests in September 2017 were Abdulaziz al-Shubaily, a founding member of the Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association (ACPRA); Mustafa al-Hassan, an academic and novelist; and Essam al-Zamel, an entrepreneur.[18][19]
Ahead of the lifting of the ban on women driving in June 2018, 17 women's rights activists were arrested, including the women to drive and anti-male guardianship campaigner Loujain al-Hathloul.[20] Eight of the 17 were subsequently released.[21] Hatoon al-Fassi, an associate professor of women's history at King Saud University, was arrested shortly afterwards.[22] In August that year, the human rights activist Israa al-Ghomgham and her husband – both arrested in 2015 – were put under legal threat of beheading.[23] Human Rights Watch warned that the al-Ghomgham case set a "dangerous precedent" for other women activists currently detained.[24]
2016 U.S. presidential election
editIn August 2016, Donald Trump Jr. had a meeting with an envoy representing Mohammed bin Salman and Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan of Abu Dhabi. The envoy offered help to the Trump presidential campaign.[25] The meeting included Joel Zamel, an Israeli specialist in social media manipulation, Lebanese-American businessman George Nader, and Blackwater founder Erik Prince.[26][25]
Forced resignation of Lebanese Prime Minister
editIn November 2017, Mohammed bin Salman forced the Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri to resign when he visited Saudi Arabia. Mohammed bin Salman believed that Hariri was in the pocket of Iran-backed Hezbollah, which is a major political force in Lebanon. Hariri eventually was released, went back to Lebanon and annulled his resignation.[27]
Jamal Khashoggi disappearance
editIn October 2018 Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist and a critic of the crown prince went missing after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Turkish officials reportedly believe that Khashoggi was murdered at the consulate, claiming to have specific video and audio recordings proving that Khashoggi was first tortured and then murdered, and that a medical forensics expert was part of the 15-man Saudi team seen entering and leaving the consulate at the time of the journalist’s disappearance.[28] Saudi Arabia denied the accusations and Salman invited Turkish authorities to search the building as they “have nothing to hide". Saudi officials said they are "working to search for him".[29] The Washington Post reported that the Crown Prince had earlier sought to lure Khashoggi back to Saudi Arabia and detain him.[30]
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
mostdangerousmanwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Risk-taking Saudi prince gambling with stability". Lfpress. 8 February 2017.
- ^ "Prince Mohammed bin Salman: Naive, arrogant Saudi prince is playing with fire". The Independent. 10 January 2016. Archived from the original on 10 January 2016.
- ^ "Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman has Western leaders very worried". News. 13 January 2016. Archived from the original on 25 July 2016.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
NYT rebukeswas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Robertson, Nic (21 June 2018). "Mohammed bin Salman is on a make or break mission". CNN. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
- ^ "Yemen crisis: President resigns as rebels tighten hold". BBC. 23 January 2015. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
- ^ Carapico, Sheila (25 February 2015). "Yemen on brink as Gulf Co-operation Council initiative fails". BBC. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
- ^ Raghavan, Sudarsan (29 July 2018). "US allies have killed thousands of Yemenis – including 22 at a wedding". The Independent. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
- ^ Paul, Katie; El Gamal, Rania (19 December 2017). "Saudi Arabia intercepts Houthi missile fired toward Riyadh; no reported casualties". Reuters. Riyadh. Retrieved 3 October 2018.
- ^ "Over 130 civilians killed in 11 days in airstrikes in Yemen, reports UN rights office". news.un.org. United Nations. 19 December 2017. Retrieved 3 October 2018.
- ^ Vonberg, Judith; Elbagir, Nima (28 August 2018). "All sides in Yemen conflict could be guilty of war crimes, says UN". CNN. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
- ^ Kristof, Nicholas (31 August 2017). "The Photos the U.S. and Saudi Arabia Don't Want You to See" – via www.NYTimes.com.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
rattlessaudiarabiawas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "UN receives nearly $1 billion from Saudi Arabia and UAE for humanitarian response to Yemen crisis". United Nations. Archived from the original on 29 March 2018. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
- ^ Emmons, Alex (1 August 2018). "Saudi Arabia planned to invade Qatar last summer. Rex Tillerson's efforts to stop it may have cost him his job". The Intercept. Retrieved 15 October 2018.
- ^ "Rights groups condemn Saudi arrests as crackdown on dissent". Reuters. 15 September 2017. Retrieved 3 October 2018.
- ^ "Saudi Arabia: Arrest of two prominent activists a deadly blow for human rights". www.amnesty.org. Archived from the original on 14 December 2017. Retrieved 14 December 2017.
- ^ Al Omran, Ahmed; Kerr, Simon (19 September 2017). "Saudi security forces clamp down on dissent". Financial Times. Retrieved 3 October 2018.
- ^ Batrawy, Aya; Al-Shihri, Abdullah (3 June 2018). "Saudi Prosecutor Says 17 Detained in Case Against Activists". Bloomberg. Riyadh. Retrieved 3 October 2018.
- ^ "Saudi Arabia releases eight people held in activist crackdown". Reuters. Riyadh. 2 June 2018. Retrieved 3 October 2018.
- ^ Dadouch, Sarah (27 June 2018). "Prominent Saudi women's rights activist detained as driving ban lifted: sources". Reuters. Riyadh. Retrieved 3 October 2018.
- ^ Graham-Harrison, Emma (22 August 2018). "Saudi Arabia seeks death penalty against female human rights activist". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 October 2018.
- ^ "Saudi Arabia 'seeks death penalty for woman activist'". BBC News. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
- ^ a b "Trump Jr. and Other Aides Met With Gulf Emissary Offering Help to Win Election". The New York Times. 19 May 2018.
- ^ "Trump Jr. met Gulf princes' emissary in 2016 who offered campaign help". Reuters. 19 May 2018.
- ^ Trump's uncritical embrace of MBS set the stage for Khashoggi crisis --CNN
- ^ "Turkey 'has recording proving Saudi murder'". BBC News. 2018-10-12. Retrieved 2018-10-12.
- ^ "Jamal Khashoggi: Turkey says journalist was murdered in Saudi consulate". BBC News. Retrieved 7 October 2018.
- ^ Harris, Shane (10 October 2018). "Crown prince sought to lure Khashoggi back to Saudi Arabia and detain him, U.S. intercepts show". Washington Post. Archived from the original on 15 October 2018. Retrieved 15 October 2018.