“The leaders of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and 18 other senators have sent a letter to President Donald Trump that could pave the way for sanctions in the disappearance of a dissident Saudi journalist. Committee chairman Bob Corker, R-Tenn., and ranking member Bob Menendez, D-N.J., are leading a call to probe whether Saudi Arabia was responsible for ‘an extrajudicial killing, torture, or other gross violation of internationally recognized human rights against an individual exercising freedom of expression’ under the Global Magnitsky Act. The lawmakers ask the Trump administration to report back in 120 days. ‘Our expectation is that in making your determination you will consider any relevant information, including with respect to the highest ranking officials in the Government of Saudi Arabia,’ the letter reads. Any resulting sanctions would freeze any assets the individuals or entities hold in the U.S. and also prevent them from using any American financial institution for banking or other purposes. Since the United States financial system has such broad global reach, the sanctions make it difficult for the individuals to use major banks anywhere in the world.”
Source: US senators order Magnitsky probe as Riyadh’s Capitol Hill clout plummets
