U.S. intelligence agencies have looked in a new report that Saudi journalist and dissident Jamal Khashoggi was assassinated by a Saudi squad working under the command of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS).
The unclassified report released on Friday confirmed the place that top U.S. intelligence officials believe Saudi Arabia’s de facto governor played in Khashoggi’s 2018 assassination.
“We assess that Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has approved an operation in Istanbul, Turkey, to capture or kill Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi,” the U.S. Office of National Intelligence Director said.
“Since 2017, The Crown Prince has had complete control over the Kingdom’s security and intelligence agencies, making it highly unlikely that Saudi officials would have carried out such activity without the consent of the Crown Prince. “
The 59-year-old was a columnist for the Washington Post newspaper that had been critical of the Saudi government. He was killed inside a Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October 2018.
Saudi officials have denied that MBS was involved in the murder.
This is how the world responded to the release of the four-page report.
Saudi Foreign Ministry:
In a statement from the Saudi state news agency SPA, the kingdom’s foreign ministry said: “The government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia completely rejects the… assessment in the report relating to the sovereignty of the Kingdom, noting that information and erroneous conclusions in the report. “
The Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia completely rejects the assessment in the report submitted to the US Congress on the Assassination of Saudi Citizens Saudi Jamal Khashoggi.https: //t.co/DGfg4OAceT#SPAGOV pic.twitter.com/r5Skr7QRh1
– SPAENG (@Spa_Eng) February 26, 2021
United Arab Emirates:
The UAE was defending Saudi Arabia’s position, the UAE state news agency WAM reported on Saturday.
The UAE’s foreign ministry “expressed its confidence and support for the ruling of Saudi judges, which reaffirms the kingdom’s commitment to enforce the law in a transparent and impartial manner, and upholds all a person involved in this case is accountable “, said WAM.
United Kingdom:
The British foreign office of the United Kingdom has always confirmed that the murder of Jamal Khashoggi was a heinous crime.
In a statement, he said: “We called for an in-depth, credible and transparent investigation to hold those responsible accountable and imposed sanctions against 20 Saudis involved in the assassination.
“The Foreign Secretary raised the issue during his visit to Riyadh last year, and we continue to raise it with our obligations with the Saudi government.”
DA Human Rights Inspector Agnes Callamard:
In a Facebook post, Agnes Callamard, the UN’s special relative of execution, summary or irregular, said the U.S. should ensure accountability.
“With the release of the U.S. report, confirming the guilt of Saudi officials at the highest levels, the United States should now take the lead in ensuring accountability for this crime and for its establishing the international means of preventing and punishing these acts in the future, ”Callamard wrote.
“The U.S. government should impose sanctions against the Crown Prince, as it has done for other manufacturers – focusing on his personal assets but also his international responsibilities,” she said.
“I urge the government of Saudi Arabia to state whether the remains of the site were destroyed or how and where they were distributed. Those responsible are only particularly aware of the details and, despite the Saudis ’unreasonable silence, the international community must press him to reveal all the facts. ”
US House of Representatives Democrat Speaker:
House spokesman Nancy Pelosi urged the U.S. government to reconsider its relationship with Saudi Arabia.
“The US government needs to reassess and rebalance relations with Saudi Arabia, having regard to the findings of this report, which form part of a worrying pattern of human rights abuses from the Kingdom,” Pelosi said in the recitation.
“The United States Congress stands with President Biden in promoting transparency on human rights abuses and in supporting partnerships that advance our security, uphold our values and protect our interests. We support the steps the Administration is taking to hold Saudi Arabia to account, including in connection with Global Magnitsky and visa denial for human rights abusers. “
This tragic event affects the rule of law & basic human rights. We need to reevaluate our relationship with Saudi Arabia. We stand w / @POTUS in promoting transparency and supporting partnerships that promote our security, uphold our values and protect our interests.
– Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) February 26, 2021
Democratic Speaker Adam Schiff:
Democratic Convener and House Information Committee Chairman Adam Schiff said MBS had “blood on his hands”.
“Biden’s administration should examine ways to ensure that the consequences for Mr Khashoggi’s brutal murder go beyond those he committed, to the one he ordered – the crown prince himself,” said Schiff.
“There is blood on his hands and that blood belonged to an American resident and a journalist. The president should not meet, or speak to, the Crown Prince, and the administration should consider sanctions on assets in the Saudi Public Investment Fund he controls that have nothing to do with the crime. . “
Democracy for the Arab World now:
Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN), the US-based rights group founded by Khashoggi, thanked the Biden administration for “transparency” but urged the imposition of sanctions on MBS.
“Thank you, Joe Biden, for clarification on the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. Now we need sanctions on a responsible Saudi prince. “
The group ‘s executive director Sarah Leah Whitson said in a statement: “Today’ s DNI report confirms what we have long known to be true: Mohammed Bin Salman ordered the execution of Jamal Khashoggi. . “
“President Biden should now live up to his promise to hold MBS to account for this murder by, as a minimum, imposing the same sanctions as he has imposed. on the accused and ending the armed movements to Saudi Arabia that would have been under unelected brutal control. murderer. “
She said: “The release of the DNI report is only a small part of the evidence we are seeking from the U.S. government regarding the Khashoggi assassination, including with respect to U.S. officials close to MBS who may be enabling insulation. “
Hatice Cengiz:
Hatice Cengiz, Khashoggi’s girlfriend, took to Twitter and posted it with a hashtag. She wrote: “#justiceforjamal“.
#justiceforjamal pic.twitter.com/R3fdlMgwPL
– Hatice Cengiz / خديجة (@mercan_resifi) February 26, 2021
Washington Post CEO:
Washington Post Publisher and CEO Fred Ryan said: “Since the day of the brutal murder of this innocent journalist, we have called for two important actions: to make the facts known and to hold those who are accountable. accountable.
“The release of the report today has revealed the facts.” Now, the man who authorized this brutal murder must be held accountable for it. “