Brussels-Rome, 2 October 2024
The outrageous murder inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on 2 October 2018 of journalist Jamal Kashoggi, in light of the flagrant impunity that has reigned so far for those who have organised, planned and ordered it at the highest level, is an open wound on humanity’s collective conscience.
On 25 February 2021, the public release of the US National Intelligence report revealed the clear and unambiguous evidence of the direct implication of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS) for ordering and planning the gruesome killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. This report further confirmed the significant evidence already documented by the by UN Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial Executions Agnès Callamard.
For No Peace Without Justice (NPWJ), which has been following the story since the beginning alongside Jamal’s fiancée, Hatice Cengiz, this was a confirmation of what seemed clear from the beginning: Jamal’s murder was a State-sanctioned and State-led crime. The only thing Khashoggi was “guilty” of, for which he paid with his life, was to exercise his right to freedom of speech by criticizing the increasingly repressive policies of the government in Riyadh.
Since 2018, Saudi Arabia has repeatedly attempted to cover up the truth and has withheld and obstructed justice, including through a sham trial of the alleged immediate perpetrators of the crime that raised serious concerns about the independence and fairness of the Saudi judicial system.
In an effort to achieve accountability, on 4 June 2024, NPWJ filed a criminal complaint in Italy against Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, following news that he had been invited to the G7 Summit in Italy. In a win for justice, the possibility of being arrested on Italian soil reportedly led to the cancellation of his visit.
Fighting the normalisation of impunity for Jamal’s murder also means not legitimising the pattern of widespread repression against the independent voices of human rights defenders, activists, dissident women, lawyers, journalists, writers and bloggers that has intensified since MBS took power.
On this sad day, we reiterate our firm commitment to not turn a blind eye on the story of Jamal Khashoggi and the violation of a variety of the most basic human rights by Saudi Government. It is way past time for the international community to act accordingly and deeply rethink its relations with a leadership whose behaviour resembles that of a rogue State.
