Infinite reporters file a case against MBS in a German court for ‘crimes against humanity’ in connection with Khashoggi’s murder.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) media watchers have filed a criminal case in a German court against Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and four other high-ranking officials for “crimes against humanity”. in connection with the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
The media watchdog’s lawsuit came Tuesday, four days after the United States released a confirmed intelligence report that said the crown prince, widely known as MBS, consented to the killing of a Saudi journalist. .
Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist who criticized Saudi policies under the crown prince, was assassinated at a Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October 2018. The gruesome assassination led by the Saudi squad drew global criticism and severely damaged him. MBS global position.
The protest, which seeks investigation by prosecutors under German international sovereignty laws, accuses Saudi Arabia of persecuting Khashoggi as well as dozens of other journalists.
“We urge the German prosecutor to take a stand,” RSF general secretary Christophe Deloire said in a statement.
“No one should be above international law, especially when humanitarian crimes are involved,” he said.
Following the release of the report, Khashoggi’s witness called for MBS to be punished “without delay”.
The administration of US President Joe Biden has decided not to impose sanctions on the Saudi crown prince for the assassination of Khashoggi.
Saudi officials have denied the report, claiming that Khashoggi was killed in a “fraudulent activity” that did not involve the crown prince – the de facto ruler of the kingdom.
But RSF said it had gathered evidence of a “state policy to attack journalists and silence” he submitted to a Federal Court of Justice in Karlsruhe, Germany, on Monday.
Their report details the cases of 34 other journalists imprisoned in Saudi Arabia, including blogger Raif Badawi, who has been imprisoned in his home country since 2012 on charges “Despising Islam”.
The principle of universal sovereignty was introduced into German law in 2002. It allows grave crimes such as genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity to be tried in national courts if not international courts. as an option.
The approach has already been used, for example, by activists fighting for accountability in Syria, with the trial of two former intelligence officials for the alleged state torture at the time. that country ‘s civil war.