The head of the Saudi Human Rights Commission, Awad Al-Awwad, revealed today, Thursday, that what the UN official, Agnes Callamard, said about a Saudi official who had threatened her over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi was meant.

But he denied that his words intended to threaten her.

Callamard, the United Nations rapporteur on extrajudicial killings, said in an interview with the British newspaper "The Guardian" published on Tuesday, that a Saudi official threatened during a meeting in Geneva in January 2020 that someone "will take care of her." If not restrained, following its investigation into Khashoggi's murder.

Callamard confirmed that United Nations officials interpret this phrase as a "death threat". The United Nations confirmed her speech on Wednesday, describing the Saudi official's words as a "threat."

Neither Callamard nor the United Nations revealed the identity of the Saudi official who said this.

But Awad Al-Awwad, head of the Saudi Human Rights Commission, revealed today that he is the responsible person in question.

"It has come to my knowledge that Mrs. Agnes Callamard and some United Nations officials believe that I somehow addressed an implicit threat to her more than a year ago," Al-Awad said in tweets on Twitter in English.

He added, "Although I do not remember the exact dialogue, it was not possible for me to desire any harm or threat to an individual appointed by the United Nations or any person in this regard."

Describing himself as a human rights defender, he said, "It weighs in my heart that whatever I have said has been interpreted as a threat."

It has come to my attention that Ms.

Agnes Callamard of Amnesty International and some UN officials believe I somehow made a veiled threat against her more than a year ago.

- Awad Bin Saleh Al-Awwad Awwad Alawwad (@AwwadSAlawwad) March 25, 2021

Callamard led the United Nations investigation into Khashoggi's murder, which took place inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October 2018, and released a report in 2019 concluding that there was "credible evidence" that senior Saudi officials were responsible for his killing.

The circumstances of the meeting

What was said about her at the Geneva meeting was "a death threat. That's how they understood," Callamard told the Guardian.

The meeting was between officials from Saudi Arabia and the United Nations, and Callamard did not attend.

But the United Nations Human Rights Office informed her of what had happened and notified the United Nations security apparatus and the authorities.

"Individuals who were present (at the meeting), and later also, made clear to the Saudi delegation that this is absolutely inappropriate," the UN rapporteur said.

For his part, Robert Colville, a spokesman for the United Nations, said Wednesday, "We confirm that the details of the report published in the Guardian about the threat against Agnes Callamard are accurate."