AUSTRALIA SHOULD NOT BE SILENT ON SAUDI JOURNALIST

Centre Alliance Senator Rex Patrick today called on the Australian Government to join other nations in pressing Saudi Arabia to provide urgent answers about the disappearance and suspected murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

"As the British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt observed overnight, violence against journalists is a growing worldwide phenomenon and a grave threat to freedom of expression," said Rex. "Freedom of the press and freedom of expression are foundations of our democracies, and the Australian Government should not be silent."  

The British Foreign Secretary has called in the Saudi Ambassador in London to demand urgent answers about the case of Mr Khashoggi. United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has also called on the Saudi Government to support a thorough and transparent investigation. US Vice President Mike Pence has said he is "deeply troubled" and that "the free world deserves answers." The French Foreign Ministry has expressed deep concern and demanded that Mr Khashoggi’s circumstances be clarified "as quickly as possible."  United Nations human rights spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani has also called for a prompt and impartial investigation into Mr Khashoggi's disappearance, adding that 'If reports of his death and the extraordinary circumstances leading up to it are true, this is truly shocking." 

Senator Patrick said Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne should call in the Saudi Ambassador in Canberra for an urgent discussion; in much the same way her predecessor, Julie Bishop, called in the Russian Ambassador to explain the nerve agent attack in the United Kingdom.  

"The Saudi Ambassador, His Excellency Mr Mesaad Ibrahim A Al Sulaim, should be afforded the opportunity to provide the full particulars of his government’s response to the very grave charges that have been levelled against its operatives and to give an unequivocal commitment not to abuse diplomatic privileges in any circumstances," Rex said.

"At the same time Foreign Minister Payne should make it clear that Australia will not tolerate any foreign interference in Australian politics or other covert activity in our country."

"In this regard it should be noted that leaked Saudi Foreign Ministry papers published by Wikileaks in 2015 revealed that the Saudi Embassy in Canberra has been extensively engaged in activities that amount to foreign interference in Australia’s internal affairs, especially within Australia’s Muslim and Arabic communities."

"At that time there was no public response from the Coalition Government that had little desire to jeopardise intelligence cooperation arrangements with Saudi Arabia that had been negotiated by its Labor predecessors."

"The Australian Government should not have been silent then; and should not be silent now."

"The Australian Parliament has now passed new foreign interference laws and it would be most timely, especially in the context of the grave allegations surrounding Mr Khashoggi’s disappearance, for the Australian Government to deliver a very robust message about what is acceptable behaviour."