Amina Taylor
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman says Jamal Khashoggi was murdered on his watch so he is responsible. This comes almost a year after the Saudi journalist’s brutal murder. The incident sparked international outcry and eventually a UN investigation was launched but there are still many questions surrounding his death and the crown prince is at the heart of all the speculation.
The UN investigation launched in June 2019 says evidence suggests Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman is liable for the brutal murder of Jamal Khashoggi who entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on the second of October 2018 and was set upon by 15 Saudi intelligence operatives. Audio tapes that the Turkish government later shared with world leaders verify he was drugged and then dismembered. Riyadh insisted the crown prince knew nothing about it.
Riyadh tried to defuse the situation by accusing 11 unknown operatives of the murder and handing five of them death sentences. But according to the UN’s report the suspect’s trial, which was not open to the public and trial observers, was a sham that fell short of international standards. Riyadh disputed that.
A year on Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman has finally commented on the murder saying because it happened on his watch, he is responsible. However he still insists it was a rogue operation he did not authorise or know about. In self imposed exile Jamal Khashoggi wrote scathing articles about the Crown Prince and Saudi law. The Kingdom has one of the worst human rights records in the world but it’s western allies have failed to put human rights concerns above petro-dollars and arms sales. Khashoggis remains have not yet been found.
PressTV
