Human Rights First Applauds Senate Action on Jamal Khashoggi, Global Magnitsky
New York City—In response to a letter signed by a bipartisan group of 22 senators—including the chairperson and ranking members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs—which triggered an investigation into and consideration of the use of Global Magnitsky sanctions against those responsible for the disappearance and alleged killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Human Rights First’s Senior Vice President for Policy Rob Berschinski issued the following statement:
On October 10, a bipartisan group of 22 senators, including all but one member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, addressed a letter to President Trump that invoked, for the first time, Section 1263(d) of the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act of 2016 (P.L. 114–328). When triggered by the chairperson and ranking member of an appropriate congressional committee, this provision requires the president, not later than 120 days after receiving the request, to determine whether foreign persons have engaged in human rights abuses, and submit to Congress a report on that determination, including concerning whether the president intends to impose Global Magnitsky sanctions. Human Rights First called for Congress to take this step when news broke of the alleged Khaggoshi murder.
For two years, Human Rights First has organized a global coalition of human rights and anti-corruption NGOs that have worked together to bring credible information to the U.S. government on potential sanctions designees under the Global Magnitsky Act.
For more information or to speak with Berschinski, contact Corinne Duffy at duffyc@humanrightsfirst.org or at 202-370-3319
