Canada’s foreign affairs minister announced on Thursday the government would impose sanctions on 17 Saudi nationals it believes are connected to the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi.The sanctions would freeze any Canadian assets held by these individuals and would make them inadmissible to the country under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.The move follows similar sanctions imposed by the U.S. earlier this month, but does not halt Canada’s multi-billion dollar arms deal with the kingdom, as other countries such as Finland, Denmark, and Germany have done in the wake of Khashoggi’s murder. The Canadian government is currently reviewing the Saudi arms deal, during which time there will be no new arms permits granted.“Those responsible for Jamal Khashoggi’s murder must be held to account and must face justice,” Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland announced in Buenos Aires at the outset of the G20 Summit.“The murder of Jamal Khashoggi is abhorrent and represents an unconscionable attack on the freedom of expression of all individuals. Canada continues to call for a credible and independent investigation,” Freeland continued.
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Global Affairs Canada wrote in a statement that these Saudi nationals are, “in the opinion of the Government of Canada, responsible for or complicit in the extrajudicial killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.”Khashoggi, an outspoken critic of the Saudi monarchy, was living in exile in the U.S. since 2017. But in October, he went to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to obtain paperwork. His killing was recorded, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that recording proves Khashoggi’s murder by Saudi officials inside the consulate, and the recording has been shared with countries including Saudi, the U.S., the U.K., Germany, France, and Canada.Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said this month that Canadian intelligence agents have listened to the recording. "We continue to be engaged with our allies on the investigation into accountability for the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, and we are in discussions with our like-minded allies as to next steps towards Saudi Arabia,” Trudeau told reporters.Prompted by a complaint by Human Rights Watch, Argentine officials were looking into possibly charging Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ahead of his attendance at the G20 Summit, according to The New York Times. Prince Mohammed has been the subject of international outcry over Khashoggi’s murder, torture allegations being carried out by Saudi, and its role in the Yemen conflict, which has been described as the worst humanitarian crisis.President Donald Trump has faced criticism for dismissing reports that the CIA blamed the Prince for Khashoggi’s killing.“Maybe he did it and maybe he didn’t,” said Trump in a statement last week. The Saudi government admits the murder, but claims it was a "rogue operation" gone wrong.Photo by Jacquelyn Martin/AP