NGOs condemn UN agreement with Saudi security chief implicated in Khashoggi murder

Two non-governmental organizations have condemned the United Nations' counterterrorism office for signing an agreement with a Saudi security chief allegedly implicated in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The groups, Alqst and MENA Rights Group, expressed "profound alarm" that the UN signed a memorandum of understanding with Abdulaziz al-Howairini, the head of Saudi Arabia’s presidency of state security. This partnership is being criticized as a violation of the UN's own human rights due diligence policy, as a previous UN investigation linked the Saudi security agency to the 2018 assassination. The NGOs noted their initial concerns were met with generic responses before the agreement was officially signed.