Human rights lawyer Amal Clooney on Wednesday blasted world leaders for responding with “little more than a collective shrug” to the death of Saudi Washington Post writer Jamal Khashoggi.
“As James Madison, one of America’s Founding Fathers, warned us more than 200 years ago, the right to a free press is the only effectual guardian of every other right,” Clooney said during her appearance at the London conference aimed at improving the protection of journalists around the world, according to Time magazine.
“And last year, when Jamal Khashoggi, Washington Post columnist, was tortured to death and dismembered by Saudi Arabian officials in Istanbul, world leaders responded with little more than a collective shrug,” Clooney continued.
Time magazine shared footage of the speech on Twitter.
{mosads}Khashoggi was killed by Saudi operatives in October 2018 in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. The CIA and a United Nations report have implicated Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in his death.
Clooney during her speech also called out President Trump, who met with Crown Prince Mohammed in the White House late last month, for his relationship with the media.
“Today, the country of James Madison has a leader who vilifies the media, making honest journalists all over the world more vulnerable to abuse,” Clooney said.
The conference marked the founding of a global fund to provide training, resources and legal support in dangerous areas. The United Kingdom has committed $3.8 million, and Canada has pledged $760,000, Time reported.