Khashoggi: Journalist's fiancée demands 'punishment' for Saudi prince
The fiancée of the murdered Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi has called for Saudi Arabia's crown prince to be "punished without delay" over his killing.
"This will not only bring the justice we have been
seeking.... but it could also prevent similar acts recurring," Hatice
Cengiz said in a statement.
It comes after a US intelligence report found that Crown
Prince Mohammed bin Salman had approved Khashoggi's murder.
Saudi Arabia has rejected the report.
Crown Prince Mohammed, who is effectively the kingdom's
ruler, has denied any role in the murder.
Khashoggi was killed while visiting the Saudi consulate in
Istanbul, Turkey, in October 2018 and his body was dismembered.
The 59-year-old journalist had once been an adviser to the
Saudi government and close to the royal family, but he fell out of favour and
went into self-imposed exile in the US in 2017.
From there, he wrote a monthly column in the Washington Post
in which he criticised the policies of Prince Mohammed.
In his first column for the newspaper, Khashoggi said he feared
being arrested in an apparent crackdown on dissent overseen by the prince.
What did Hatice Cengiz say?
"It is essential that the crown prince, who ordered the
brutal murder of a blameless and innocent person, should be punished without
delay," Ms Cengiz said on Monday.
"If the crown prince is not punished, it will
forever... endanger us all and be a stain on our humanity," she added.
Ms Cengiz, a Turkish academic researcher, made a plea that
world leaders distance themselves from the crown prince and impose punishments
such as sanctions on Saudi Arabia.
"Starting with the Biden Administration, it is vital
for all world leaders to ask themselves if they are prepared to shake hands
with [Prince Mohammed]," she said.
"I urge everyone to put their hands on their hearts and
campaign to punish the crown prince," Ms Cengiz added.
US President Joe Biden has faced criticism from within his
own Democratic Party over his decision not to punish Prince Mohammed directly.
After the intelligence report was released on Friday, his
administration imposed sanctions on a senior aide to the prince as well as
others who it said had played a role in Khashoggi's death.
"I think they need to keep open additional sanctions
against [Prince Mohammed] if we don't see a change in behaviour,"
Democratic Senator Mark Warner, who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee,
told Fox News on Sunday.
Republican members of Congress have also called on Mr Biden
to impose further sanctions. His administration is expected to make an
announcement later on Monday.
President Biden spoke to Saudi Arabia's King Salman last
week and "affirmed the importance the United States places on universal
human rights and the rule of law", the White House said.
What happened to Khashoggi?
The journalist, who was known for his criticism of the Saudi
authorities, went to the consulate in October 2018 in order to obtain papers
allowing him to marry Ms Cengiz.
He had allegedly received assurances from the crown prince's
brother, Prince Khalid bin Salman, who was ambassador to the US at the time,
that it would be safe to visit the consulate. Prince Khalid has denied any
communication with the journalist.
According to Saudi prosecutors, Khashoggi was forcibly
restrained after a struggle and injected with a large amount of a drug,
resulting in an overdose that led to his death. His body was then dismembered
and handed over to a local "collaborator" outside the consulate,
prosecutors said. The remains were never found.
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