November 29, 2018 - Ottawa, Ontario - Global Affairs Canada

The Honourable Chrystia Freeland, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today announced targeted sanctions under the Justice for Victims of Corrupt Foreign Officials Act against 17 Saudi nationals linked to the murder of Jamal Khashoggi.

The sanctions target individuals who are, in the opinion of the Government of Canada, responsible for or complicit in the extrajudicial killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi on October 2, 2018.

These sanctions effectively freeze the assets of these individuals in Canada. Their listing also renders them inadmissible to Canada pursuant to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.

While Canada has imposed sanctions on these 17 Saudi nationals, we continue to call for a transparent and rigorous accounting of the circumstances surrounding Mr. Khashoggi’s murder. The explanations offered to date by Saudi Arabia lack consistency and credibility.

Canada is committed to supporting human rights defenders and will continue to promote freedom of the press around the world.

