The European Union has reiterated its call for accountability for the murder of journalist Yamal Khashogi, after a U.S. intelligence report implicated Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
A spokesperson for the EU External Action Service have indicated that the European bloc “takes note” of the report published by Washington on the case of the journalist, killed in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2, 2018.
“The EU has consistently called for accountability and the implementation of measures within the Saudi security forces and intelligence that would prevent similar crimes from happening again. Today we reiterate this request,” the spokesperson said.
Likewise, European diplomacy has insisted on its “unequivocal commitment” to press freedom and the safety of journalists. Khashogi, a columnist for ‘The Washington Post’, went to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to manage some documents and never left alive, since he was murdered and dismembered by fifteen Saudi agents after his criticism of the Saudi government.
The U.S. report directly implicates the crown prince in ordering the journalist’s murder. To carry out the operation, fifteen Saudi agents arrived on the second of that month in Istanbul under the command of Saud al-Qathani, a close advisor to Bin Salman, who even said in public in mid-2018 that he did not carry out actions without the approval of the crown prince.
After the report became known, U.S. President Joe Biden threatened to take action against Riyadh. In an interview with Univision News, the US president warned King Salman of Saudi Arabia that the rules “are changing” and advanced that there would be “significant changes” in the relationship between Washington and Riyadh, although it remains to be seen how the US response will be substantiated.
