The Biden government has released the intelligence report on the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, which concludes that “Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has approved an operation in Istanbul, Turkey, to capture or murder Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. . ” However, the US will not impose sanctions on the Crown Prince.
“ We base this assessment on the Crown Prince’s control over decision-making in the Kingdom, the direct involvement of a key adviser and members of Muhammad bin Salman’s protective detail in the operation, and the Crown Prince’s support for the use of violent measures. to silence dissidents abroad. including Khashoggi, ”the report says.
The report states that members of the team responsible for Khashoggi’s murder included officials working for a close advisor to the Crown Prince, often referred to as MBS, as well as seven members of the Prince’s personal protection detail.
“Since 2017, the Crown Prince has had absolute control over the Kingdom’s security and intelligence organizations, making it highly unlikely that Saudi officials would have carried out such an operation without the Crown Prince’s consent,” the report said.
At a press conference on Friday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken told NBC that the report speaks for itself as to why the US is not directly punishing MBS.
The report cites several individuals who are likely to have played a role in Khashoggi’s murder, although it admits that “we don’t know if these individuals knew in advance that the operation would lead to Khashoggi’s death.”
CBS News reported in 2018 that the CIA determined that MBS had ordered Khashoggi’s death. The Crown Prince has denied any involvement in Khashoggi’s murder. The 59-year-old Washington Post columnist, who often criticized the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, was murdered after entering a Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October 2018.
The new government appears focused on preserving the US’s strategic relationship with the Kingdom, as MBS is likely to become king one day.
The State Department announced new policy guidelines on Friday that the Secretary of State called the “Khashoggi Ban.” It is a new visa restriction policy that allows the State Department to impose visa restrictions on people who, acting on behalf of a foreign government, “ are believed to have been directly involved in serious, extraterritorial activities against dissidents, including activities that oppress, harass, journalists, activists, or others. monitor, threaten or harm persons who are considered to be dissidents, or who engage in such activities involving the families or other close associates of such persons, ”Blinken said Friday.
The Ministry of Finance has announced that it is imposing sanctions on the Saudi Rapid Intervention Force and a former Saudi intelligence officer for their role in Khashoggi’s death.
However, neither the “Khashoggi Ban” nor the sanctions have a direct impact on MBS.
President Biden spoke with Saudi King Salman on Thursday ahead of the report’s publication. MBS is the Secretary of Defense, but it is widely expected to come to power after Salman’s death.
The White House is considering issuing executive orders written with the intent to protect journalists, although this protection would not be directed specifically against Saudi Arabia. Democratic Senators Patrick Leahy and Amy Klobuchar have also introduced a bill to ensure that governments that violate human rights against journalists are held accountable through measures such as targeted sanctions and limited aid.
Former President Trump declined to admonish Saudi Arabia or MBS for the murder of a US resident.
Several lawmakers have called on Mr. Biden to respond to Khashoggi’s death, possibly through sanctions.
“It was an absolute atrocity and that American ally thought they could do that reasonably and get away with it, and the government wouldn’t care in the past,” was shocking, “Senator Tim Kaine told reporters on Thursday. The Virginia Democrat noted. also notes that Khashoggi was a resident of his state.
Republican Senator John Cornyn told reporters that Mr. Biden had to tell King Salman that Khashoggi’s death was “not acceptable”.
“I think we need to make it clear that we understand what happened,” Cornyn said. “And that’s not acceptable, in the United States or other civilized nations, to go in and basically kill and chop your political opponents or members of the press.”