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US' Bernie Sanders slams Saudi's Bin Salman

January 19, 2019 at 1:34 pm

US Senator Bernie Sanders speaks during a news conference regarding the separation of immigrant children at the US Capitol on 10 July 2018 in Washington, DC [Alex Edelman/Getty Images]

Veteran US politician Bernie Sanders has severely criticised Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman (MBS) and called for the international community to hold him accountable for his crimes.

Sanders – a former nominee for the US presidential elections – also criticised US President Donald Trump for supporting Bin Salman and describing him as a “reformer”. He also called for the US and the international community to hold the “despotic” Saudi regime accountable for its crimes.

In a tweet, Sanders wrote: “Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, has been hailed as a progressive reformer. But his track record of imprisoning, torturing and murdering activists begs to differ. It’s time that the US and the international community hold this despotic regime accountable.”

Sanders also spoke about the Yemeni crisis resulting from attacks by the Saudi-led coalition, labelling it the “worst human crisis in the world”.

In a historic move in December, senators supported a motion tabled by Sanders which called for an end to US military support for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen’s civil war.

The motion pointed out that the UN described the conflict, during which tens of thousands of people have been killed, as a dire humanitarian crisis which has left the country on the brink of famine.

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