Following a Human Rights Watch document arguing for its permissibility under the Argentinian legal system, Argentine authorities are exploring prosecution options against Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed bin Salman for war crimes or crimes against humanity for Saudi Arabia’s actions in Yemen and regarding the killing of Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey. The precedent comes from a broad interpretation of human rights cases emerging from the transition away from military dictatorship, during which 30,000 people were killed or disappeared. The country’s immunity laws were overturned in the 2000s and thousands of people have since been charged with human rights violations. The law largely allows for human rights violations that occurred anywhere to be tried in Argentina. The Saudi prince will be in Argentina this week for the G20 summit, but principles of diplomatic immunity and the short amount of time mean that any successful progress in the prosecution will probably not occur before the end of the conference. The move, however, will further complicate and contribute to the deterioration of Saudi relations with many countries, as well as reduce the legitimacy of Salman as an effective leader internationally.
Source: Argentina prosecutor takes on case against Mohammed bin Salman | World news | The Guardian
