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The crown prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, has “confirmed” the murder of journalist Jamal Kasogi in 2018, according to US intelligence in a declassified report published.
“We have concluded that the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, has ratified the operation in Istanbul, Turkey, for the arrest or murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Kasogi,” the statement said. National Intelligence.
“The crown prince viewed Kasogi as a threat to the kingdom and generally supported the use of force, if necessary, to silence dissidents abroad, including Kasogi,” the report added.
The text underlines that since 2017 the Crown Prince has “complete control” of the kingdom’s intelligence and security services, which “makes it very unlikely that Saudi officials will carry out an operation of this type without the” green light “” of “part of it”.
The US intelligence service also believes that at that time, Mohammad bin Salman had grown up in such a climate that his associates did not dare to question his orders “because they feared being fired or arrested.”
Kasogi, who lived in the United States and worked as a columnist for the Washington Post, writing articles critical of the prince’s succession policy, was assassinated and dismembered inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul by a group of people close to him. Mohammad bin Salman.
Riyadh denies any involvement of the Crown Prince in this case.
By declassifying the report, the Joe Biden administration reversed the policy of former President Donald Trump, who refused to make it public by ignoring a 2019 law.
This reflects the willingness of the United States to confront Riyadh on a variety of issues, from human rights to the war in Yemen.
In addition, the new director of National Intelligence, Avril Haynes, had pledged to comply with the 2019 law, which required her office to publish the declassified report within 30 days.
However, Washington tried to soften the blow, since yesterday Biden spoke by phone with the father of the 85-year-old prince, King Salman, and, as announced by the two parties, he reaffirmed the alliance of their countries and promised to work together.
However, the US government is considering canceling arms sales contracts in Saudi Arabia and limiting futures to “defense” weapons systems only, according to Reuters. A State Department spokesman said Washington was focusing on ending the war in Yemen after making sure Saudi Arabia had everything it needed to defend its territory.
Kasogi, 59, went to his country’s consulate in Istanbul on October 2, 2018 to receive a document he needed to marry his Turkish fiancee. A group of Saudi officials, linked to the crown prince, killed and dismembered him. His body was never found.
At first, Riyadh gave contradictory accounts of his disappearance, but finally admitted that he was killed in an operation to arrest him, which “did not go well”. Twenty-one people were arrested and five high-ranking officials were fired, including Deputy Intelligence Chief Ahmed Assiri and an aide to Crown Prince Saud al-Qahtani.
In January 2019, eleven people were tried behind closed doors. Five of them were sentenced to death, but their sentences were commuted to 20 years in prison after being pardoned by Kasogi’s family. Three others were sentenced to prison.
Assiri was tried but acquitted “for lack of evidence”, while Kahtani was not prosecuted.
Kasogi’s Fiancée Post: Justice for Jamal
Hatice Cengiz, the fiancée of slain Saudi journalist Jamal Kasogi, posted the message “justice for Jamal” (#justiceforjamal) on Twitter shortly after the US Secret Service report of the death was published.
UN: impose sanctions on Mohammed bin Salman
The UN Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial Executions, who investigated the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Kasogi, today called on the United States to ensure that justice is served for this crime.
Annie Calamar, in a statement posted on Twitter, urged Washington to impose sanctions directly on the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, “targeting his personal property as well as his international commitments.”
The United States should not grant immunity to the prince and Saudi Arabia should reveal whether and how Kasogi’s remains were destroyed inside the consulate, he added.
The Saudi government has yet to respond to requests for comment on the US intelligence report on Kasogi’s assassination. Riyadh has so far denied any involvement of the Crown Prince in the case.
USA: Financial Sanctions Against Former Close Ally of Crown Prince and Special Unit
The United States has said it will impose financial sanctions on a Saudi special operations unit and former Iraqi intelligence chief Ahmed al-Assiri for their role in the murder of journalist Jamal Kasogi.
General Assiri, an influential military man, had been accused of murder by the Saudi authorities, but was acquitted in court. The Turkish justice accuses him of being one of the people who ordered the murder of the journalist, in October 2018, inside the consulate of his country in Istanbul. The administration of former US President Donald Trump had not imposed sanctions on him.
The measures were announced by the US Treasury Department, following the publication of the report by US intelligence services, which targets the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, accusing him of “confirming” the murder of Kasogi.
Sanctions were also imposed on the Rapid Reaction Force, which is described in the intelligence report as a special unit of the Royal Guard, which is responsible for protecting Prince Mohammed bin Salman, also known as MBS. This unit refers only to the prince and “participated in previous operations against dissidents, in the kingdom and abroad.”
Seven members of the force joined the group that killed Jamal Kasogi.
The Rapid Reaction Force was overseen by Saud al-Qahtani, a former close adviser to the prince, who is also accused by Turkey of killing Kasogi. He was not prosecuted in Saudi Arabia. The United States has already banned Al Qaeda from entering the United States.
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