By Elishya Perera
(CU)_US Representative Ilhan Omar on Tuesday (March 2) introduced a new bill that seeks to sanction Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), for his role in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The call for sanctions was in response to the unclassified report released on Friday, which said US intelligence officials believe that the Kingdom’s de facto ruler commanded the killing of the Washington Post columnist who had often criticised the Crown Prince’s policies.
“We assess that Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman approved an operation in Istanbul, Turkey, to capture or kill Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi,” the Office of US Director of National Intelligence said.
It noted that since the Crown Prince has had “absolute control” over the Kingdom’s security and intelligence organisations since 2017, therefore, it is “highly unlikely” that the operation would have been carried out without his authorisation.
Responding to the report, Omar, a Democrat from Minnesota, said that “this is a test of our humanity”.
“If the United States of America truly supports freedom of expression, democracy and human rights, there is no reason not to sanction Mohammed bin Salman—a man our own intelligence found to have approved the murder of US resident and Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi,” she noted.
Meanwhile, the Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry says that its government completely rejects the report, claiming that it contained “inaccurate information and conclusions”.
The United Arab Emirates has also defended Riyadh’s position, with the foreign ministry in Dubai expressing its confidence in the Saudi judiciary rulings, saying that the Kingdom implements the law in “a transparent and impartial manner”.
The British foreign office meanwhile, reiterated the United Kingdom’s position on the matter being that “Jamal Khashoggi’s murder was a terrible crime”, and called for a “thorough, credible and transparent investigation” regarding the murder.
“The Foreign Secretary raised the issue during his visit to Riyadh last year, and we continue to raise it in our engagements with the Saudi government,” the foreign office said in a statement.
Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has filed a criminal case in a German court against MBS and four other high-ranking officials for “crimes against humanity”, just four days after the United States released the declassified report. The complaint accuses Saudi Arabia of persecuting Khashoggi as well as dozens of other journalists, and therefore seeks an inquiry by prosecutors under Germany’s international jurisdiction laws.
However, Omar’s calls for sanctions puts her at odds with US President Joe Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. According to State Department spokesman Ned Price, the Department, together with President Biden, are working to “recalibrate” and not “rupture” the US-Saudi relationship, and has therefore declined to punish the MBS.
“We are working to put the US-Saudi relationship on the right footing,” Price said, defending the Biden administration’s decision.
In a statement issued on Friday, Pelosi noted that the recent report “confirms what the world has long known: that Jamal Khashoggi was brutally murdered at the direction of top Saudi officials, including [the Crown Prince]”. Nevertheless, she echoed calls to “recalibrate” the relationship, adding that the House would introduce legislation to honour Khashoggi’s memory.
