World News

U.S. report on Jamal Khashoggi death expected to single out Saudi crown prince

A declassified version of a U.S. intelligence report expected to be released on Thursday finds that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman approved the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, four U.S. officials familiar with the matter said.

The officials said the report, for which the CIA was the main contributor, assessed that the crown prince approved and likely ordered the murder of Khashoggi, whose Washington Post column had criticized the crown prince’s policies.

President Joe Biden, a Democrat who succeeded the Republican Donald Trump five weeks ago, told reporters on Wednesday he had read the report and expected to speak soon by phone with Saudi Arabian King Salman, 85, father of the crown prince, the country’s 35-year-old de facto ruler.

The report’s release is part of Biden’s policy to realign ties with Riyadh after years of giving the Arab ally and major oil producer a pass on its human rights record and its intervention in Yemen’s civil war.

Biden is working to restore the relationship with Riyadh to traditional lines after four years of cozier ties under Trump. White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters on Wednesday Biden would only communicate with the Saudi king and said the declassified Khashoggi report was being readied for release soon.

While Biden restricts his contacts to the king, others in the Biden administration are talking to Saudi officials at various levels.

We have been in touch with Saudi officials at numerous levels in the early weeks of this administration,” said State Department spokesman Ned Price. The 59-year old Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist and Washington Post columnist, was lured to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2, 2018, and killed by a team of operatives linked to the crown prince. They then dismembered his body. His remains have never been found.

Biden pledged during the 2020 presidential campaign to reassess U.S.-Saudi ties in part over Khashoggi’s murder. Since taking office, he has ended sales of offensive arms that Riyadh could use in Yemen and appointed a special envoy to boost diplomatic efforts to end that country’s gruelling civil war.

In other news – Caster Semenya takes her case to the European Court of Human Rights

South Africa’s track star, Caster Semenya is not giving up the fight to compete in her favoured events. The former Olympic champion is now appealing to the European Court of Human Rights.

Caster Semenya

Semenya wants to overturn a World Athletics’ rule on the regulation of hormones. And she has the backing of the Sports, Arts and Culture Department, who’ve pledged their unwavering support for the athlete. Learn more

Source: Reuters