Khashoggi fiancee demands punishment for Saudi prince

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(FILES) In this file photo taken on December 15, 2014 Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi attends a press conference in Manama. – The US director of national intelligence is expected to release a damning report on February 26, 2021, that fingers Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the brutal murder and dismemberment of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi in October 2018. The classified report is believed to say that, based on intelligence collected by the CIA and other spy bodies, the kingdom’s de facto leader directed the assassination of the respected US-based writer in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. (Photo by MOHAMMED AL-SHAIKH / AFP)

 

ISTANBUL, Turkey (AFP) — The Turkish fiancee of slain Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi said on Monday that Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman should be “punished without delay” over the murder.

The United States on Friday declassified a report that publicly accused the crown prince of approving Khashoggi murder in the kingdom’s Istanbul consulate in 2018.

But the United States stopped short of applying sanctions against the 35-year-old de facto leader, known by his initials MBS.

In this handout picture provided by the Saudi Royal Palace, Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (R) greets the public as he attends the Round 2: Diriyah E-Prix, in the Saudi capital Riyadh, on February 27, 2021. – Loud explosions shook Riyadh on on February 27 as a Saudi-led military coalition said it thwarted a missile attack launched by Yemen’s Huthi rebels, which sent debris raining down on civilian homes.
The assaults came as Saudi Arabia hosted a Formula E championship on the outskirts of Riyadh, which was attended by de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. (Photo by Bandar AL-JALOUD / Saudi Royal Palace / AFP) / XGTY / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE – MANDATORY CREDIT “AFP PHOTO / SAUDI ROYAL PALACE / BANDAR AL-JALOUD” – NO MARKETING – NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS – DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS

“It is essential that the Crown Prince, who ordered the brutal murder of a blameless and innocent person, should be punished without delay,” Khashoggi’s fiancee Hatice Cengiz said in a statement posted on her official Twitter account in English and Arabic.

“This will not only bring the justice we have been seeking for Jamal, but it could also prevent similar acts recurring in the future,” she said.

Khashoggi, a US resident and critic of Prince Mohammed who wrote for The Washington Post, was killed and dismembered at the kingdom’s Istanbul consulate after going inside to receive paperwork for his wedding to Cengiz.

Cengiz said that “following this report, there is no longer any political legitimacy for the Crown Prince”.

But she said the US report did not go far enough.

(FILES) In this file photograph taken on December 3, 2019, Hatice Cengiz, fiancee of slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi gives a press conference with United Nations Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions in Brussels, regarding the UN investigation into the unlawful death of Mr. Jamal Khashoggi and follow up activities to ensure accountability. – The Turkish fiancee of slain Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi said on March 1, 2021, that Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman should be “punished without delay” over the murder. The United States on February 26, declassified a report that publicly accused the crown prince of approving Khashoggi murder in the kingdom’s Istanbul consulate in 2018. (Photo by Aris Oikonomou / AFP)

“The truth — that was already known — has been revealed one more time, and it is now confirmed.”

“Yet this is not enough,” she warned, “since the truth can only be meaningful when it serves justice being achieved.”

Cengiz said if the crown prince was not punished, “it will forever signal that the main culprit can get away with murder which will endanger us all and be a stain on our humanity.”

The Saudi government, which initially said it had no information on Khashoggi, says it accepts responsibility for the killing but casts it as a rogue operation that did not involve the prince.

In a statement late Friday, the Saudi foreign ministry said it “completely rejects” the declassified US report.


© Agence France-Presse