G20 summit

Forty-five American lawmakers have urged the US government to boycott next month's G20 summit in Riyadh unless Saudi authorities address key human rights concerns.

Iran Press/America: The letter from US Congress members to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo comes after European lawmakers passed a resolution this month calling for the European Union to downgrade its attendance at the summit, also over human rights.

The developments are a source of embarrassment for the kingdom, the current G20 president, as it gears up to host world leaders next month at what is widely seen as a crucial event for Saudi international diplomacy.

Among a suite of demands, Congress members called on Riyadh to release jailed activists, end its military campaign in neighboring Yemen and provide accountability for the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul.

"As the world's leading democracy and purveyor of human rights, our government should demand dramatic changes to Saudi Arabia's dismal record of human rights violations," said the letter, seen by AFP.

"Should the Saudi government fail to take immediate steps to address this record, we should withdraw from the Saudi-led G20 summit and commit to making human rights reforms a condition of all future dealings with Saudi Arabia's government."

Jan Schakowsky and Ilhan Omar, Democratic members of the US House of Representatives, were among the 45 lawmakers who signed the letter, which was supported by the advocacy group Freedom Forward.

There was no immediate reaction from the Saudi government or Pompeo.

211