The Biden administration has released the intelligence report on the assassination of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, which concludes that ‘Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has approved an operation in Istanbul, Turkey, to kill Saudi journalist Jamal To capture or kill Khashoggi. ‘ However, the US will not impose sanctions on the Crown Prince.
“We base this assessment on the Crown Prince’s control over the decision – making process in the Kingdom, the direct involvement of a key adviser and members of Muhammad bin Salman’s protective details in the operation, and the Crown Prince’s support for the use of “Violent measures to silence dissidents abroad, including Khashoggi,” the report said.
The report said members of the team responsible for Khashoggi’s assassination included officials who worked with a close adviser to the Crown Prince, often referred to as MBS, as well as seven members of the prince’s personal protective details. .
“Since 2017, the Crown Prince has had absolute control over the security and intelligence organizations of the Kingdom, making it highly unlikely that Saudi officials would have carried out an operation of this nature without the Crown Prince’s authorization,” the report reads.
Foreign Minister Antony Blinken told NBC at a news conference on Friday that the report goes without saying why the US does not punish MBS directly.
The report mentions several individuals who probably played a role in Khashoggi’s murder, although it is conceded that “we do not know if these individuals knew in advance that the operation would lead to Khashoggi’s death.”
CBS News reported in 2018 that the CIA judged that MBS had ordered Khashoggi’s death. The crown prince has denied any involvement in the assassination of Khashoggi. The 59-year-old columnist for the Washington Post, who has often criticized the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, has died after entering a Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October 2018.
The new government seems to be focused on maintaining the US strategic relationship with the Kingdom, as MBS is likely to become king one day.
The Foreign Ministry on Friday announced new policy guidance that the Foreign Minister called the ‘Khashoggi Ban’. It is a new visa restriction policy that allows the State Department to impose visa restrictions on people who, on behalf of a foreign government, “apparently engaged in serious, extra-territorial anti-dissident activities, including those who oppress, harass, journalists, activists “other persons who are considered dissenters for their work, or who engage in such activities in relation to the families or other close associates of such persons, may not supervise, threaten or prejudice,” Blinken said on Friday.
The Treasury Department has announced that it is imposing sanctions on the Saudi Arabian Rapid Intervention Force and a former Saudi intelligence officer for their role in Khashoggi’s death.
However, neither the ‘Khashoggi Ban’ nor the sanctions will directly affect MBS.
President Biden spoke with Saudi King Salman on Thursday before announcing the report. MBS is the secretary of defense, but he is widely expected to act after Salman’s death.
The White House is considering issuing executive orders written with the aim of protecting journalists, although this protection will not be specifically aimed at Saudi Arabia. Democratic senators Patrick Leahy and Amy Klobuchar have also introduced a bill to ensure that governments that commit human rights violations against journalists are held accountable through measures such as targeted sanctions and limited assistance.
Former President Trump did not want to reprimand Saudi Arabia or MBS for the murder of a US resident.
Several legislators have accused Mr. Biden asked to respond to Khashoggi’s death, possibly through sanctions.
“It was an absolute atrocity and that the US ally thought they could do it fairly and get away with it, and the previous government would not care, was shocking,” Senator Tim Kaine told reporters on Thursday. The Virginia Democrat also noted that Khashoggi was a resident of his state.
Republican Sen. John Cornyn has told reporters that Biden must tell King Salman that Khashoggi’s death is “unacceptable.”
“I think we need to make it clear that we understand what happened,” Cornyn said. “And it is not acceptable to go into the United States or other civilized countries and basically kill and discourage your political opponents or members of the press.”