On February 26, US intelligence published the full version of the CIA investigation into the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. It is a critical step for the White House, but also for other governments that have long supported the brutality of Arab regimes and other authoritarian regimes. The report is the most damning demonstration yet of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s complicity in the horrific murder, and forces many governments to make a long-delayed decision: sanction the government and the prince, or make symbolic gestures of disapproval while continuing to to maintain political and commercial relations with the Arab country?
In October 2018, a Saudi commando, made up of several people who were part of the prince’s entourage, flew to Istanbul in two private jets owned by a company controlled by Bin Salman. The commando killed Khashoggi and tore his body to pieces, which was never found. At first, the Saudi government lied about the murder, then, faced with the evidence presented, it admitted that Khashoggi had died in an arrest that went wrong, but that the crown prince had nothing to do with it.
The US intelligence report is based on a number of CIA considerations: the prince’s control over the kingdom, the “involvement in the operation of an adviser to the prince and agents of his escort, and support for the use of violence to to silence dissidents abroad, including Khashoggi ”. The report ends with the statement: “We believe that the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, approved the operation in Istanbul to capture or kill Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi”. The fact that the killers had brought a bone saw with them also suggests that the murder was premeditated.
Enough with impunity
The US report follows the work of Agnès Callamard, UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, who after six months of investigation concluded that Saudi Arabia was involved in the “intentional and premeditated execution” of Khashoggi. . “There is enough evidence of the crown prince’s responsibility that requires further investigation,” Callamard said. The assessments made by the CIA and Callamard today force Washington to decide how to continue relations with the Saudi kingdom, which the Biden administration has said it wants to “reconsider”. On February 26, the White House promptly announced that it will restrict the entry into the United States of individuals involved in Khashoggi’s murder or operations against Saudi dissidents. They may seem like soft actions. Yet this is a significant novelty, as the targeted dissidents freely share information with foreign intelligence services and politicians, helping to build solid accusations against Arab tyrants.
An important reason for taking action against the Saudis is that their actions are similar to those of other authoritarian Arab regimes for which Riyadh is a model. The entire region will pay a high price if Khashoggi’s murder is not harshly punished and risks becoming a hell of rogue states where life is of little value and citizens have no rights.
The United States and other countries, along with the private sector and international organizations working with Saudi Arabia, must quickly decide what to do. Among the ideas under discussion are the hypothesis of imposing heavier sanctions against individuals, excluding political leaders from diplomatic meetings, launching an international inquiry into the crown prince and reducing military and commercial ties with the kingdom. The problem, however, is that it will be difficult to oust Mohammed bin Salman from his position as Crown Prince. His father, King Salman, is unwell and may not be able to handle the repercussions of his heir’s behavior. Most of Mohammed bin Salman’s initiatives in domestic and foreign policy have failed, notably the embargo against Qatar and the war in Yemen. To make matters worse, the prince has succeeded in the dubious feat of transforming a low-key kingdom into yet another authoritarian Arab society, in which no one dares to say what he thinks for fear of jail or death.
The most important reaction we should pay attention to is probably the one inside Saudi Arabia, from some of the members of the royal family, the economic elite and the security apparatus. Saudi citizens, embarrassed as they may be that their country is being banned, do not have the means to express themselves freely. International pressure is therefore essential to put an end to the criminal behavior of Arab officials, but also to give some hope to ordinary women and men.
(Translation by Francesco De Lellis)
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