KHASHOGGI: UK slams sanctions on Saudi, Russia under new powers

The government of the United Kingdom has slapped economic sanctions on dozens of individuals and organisations from Russia, Saudi Arabia and North Korea under new British powers to punish human-rights offenders.

This was revealed on Monday by the UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab who said the sanctions targeted those behind “some of the notorious human rights violations in recent years”, and were aimed at stopping the laundering of “blood money”.

The UK foreign ministry said that the first sanctions will target 25 Russian nationals who were involved in the mistreatment and death of lawyer Sergei Magnitsky, and 20 Saudi nationals held responsible for the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

READ ALSO: Trial of 20 suspects who allegedly killed Jamal Khashoggi begins in Turkey

“Today this government … sends a very clear message on behalf of the British people that those with blood on their hands – the thugs and despots, the henchmen and dictators – will not be free to waltz into this country to buy up property on the King’s Road, to do their Christmas shopping in Knightsbridge, or frankly to siphon dirty money through British banks or other financial institutions,” said Raab.

“The designations will also include those responsible for the brutal murder of the writer and journalist Jamal Khashoggi.”

This came days after Zeki Demir, a Saudi consulate worker in Turkey told a court in Istanbul that he was told to immediately light an oven less than an hour after journalist Jamal Khashoggi entered the building where he was killed in 2018.

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