Mohammed Bin Salman: Rights Activists Question Why Crown Prince is Attending Royal Funeral
Human Rights Reporters
2 min read
The invitation by the royal family of the United Kingdom to the Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) to attend the funeral of the late Queen Elizabeth ll has enraged rights campaigners questioning the move.
On Monday, 19th September, 2022, over 500 heads of states and governments and other dignitaries will grace the occasion to say final farewell to Her Majesty the Queen and curiously, the crown prince of Saudi Arabia and the de facto leader of the gulf state will be in attendance while notable absentees includes Vladimir Putin of Russia.
The public outcry comes as declassified documents released by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) accuses Mohammed bin Salman of ordering the murder and dismemberment of Saudi journalist, Kamal Khashorggi in the Saudi consul in Istanbul, Turkey, in 2018.
Right campaigners keep asking Western powers to demand accountability from the Saudi prince which the government has vehemently denied. And he hasn’t been to the English capital since 2018 until now.
The invitation of Mohammed bin Salman to the royal funeral, (symbol of democracy and freedom) stains the memory of Queen Elizabeth II, explains, Hatice Gengiz, the fiancee of the late journalist who was a fierce critic of the regime. She is pushing further for the immediate arrest of the prince upon arrival, a move she doubts will happen.
Pressure groups such as Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT) is accusing Saudi Arabia and other Gulf monarchies of using the event to “whitewash” their horrific human rights records.
One reason for this seeming warm invitation from London is that the Saudi-led government has bought arms worth over $23 billion since the 8 year long running war in Yemen.
Rights activists says the scant avenues for political and freedom of expression in the kindgom have all been eroded since the Crown Prince assumed his new role. With little to no room for alternative political expression. With political opponents and dissenters having either been silenced or fled.
On the other hand Mohammed bin Salman has embarked on rapid social liberalization programmes such opening of cinemas and public entertainment. MBS has also granted rights of women to drive.
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