More than 20 countries at the UN Human Rights Council have condemned Saudi Arabia for the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and human rights abuses in the country, including torture and enforced disappearance.
Twenty-four countries, mostly Europeans, expressed concern in a statement, the second of their kind in March, over reports of torture, unlawful detention and unfair trials of activists, including women and journalists in Saudi Arabia.
The statement acknowledged the existence of Saudi reforms, including a declaration last month on lifting restrictions on women's right to travel without a mahram, but added that serious concerns remained.
Australian Ambassador Sally Mansfield read the statement, “Nevertheless, we remain deeply concerned about the human rights situation in Saudi Arabia. Representatives of civil society in the Kingdom continue to be persecuted and intimidated.”
The statement urged Saudi Arabia to uncover the truth about the killing of Khashoggi at his country's consulate in Istanbul in October last year and to ensure that those involved were held accountable.
Reuters quoted diplomats as saying that 15 countries of the European Union, including Britain and Germany, among the signatories to the statement, in addition to Canada, New Zealand and Peru.
The UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial killings, Agnes Kalamar, stressed in her report in June that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and senior officials should be investigated over Khashoggi's murder in the light of what she called credible evidence against them.
But Riyadh rejected the report at the time as nothing new and contained "baseless allegations" and the Saudi prosecutor charged 11 suspects, including five who could face execution for the crime.