Khashoggi murder: The crisis is far from over

Worst diplomatic crisis

Khashoggi, a 59-year-old Washington Post columnist, was murdered in October last year at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Türkiye. According to Turkish officials, the journalist was strangled and his body was dismembered by a group of 15 people inside the Saudi consulate. His remains have not been found.

Journalist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered in October 2018. Photo: AFP

The incident stunned Saudi Arabia's Western allies, quickly spiraling into one of the kingdom's worst diplomatic crises since the September 11 attacks and damaging the reputation of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto ruler in Riyadh.

Eleven people have been charged in the case, most of whom remain unidentified. Five have been sentenced to death, three face a total of 24 years in prison, and the rest have been acquitted, Deputy Public Prosecutor Shalaan bin Rajih Shalaan told reporters on December 23. He said at a press conference that an appeal could be made, adding that “the prosecutor’s investigation has shown that the murder was not premeditated,” but instead occurred spontaneously.

According to AFP, Riyadh has described the assassination as a “rogue” operation, but both the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and its special envoy to the United Nations have flatly accused Crown Prince Mohammed of involvement. Of course, this accusation has been vehemently denied by the oil-rich kingdom.

Security camera footage of journalist Jamal Khashoggi entering the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul on October 2. Photo: CNN

Both Ahmed al-Assiri and Saud al-Qahtani are members of the inner circle with close ties to Crown Prince Mohammed.

Saudi prosecutors say that Deputy Intelligence Director Ahmed al-Assiri oversaw Khashoggi’s murder, while the US Treasury Department has said that the royal court media chief Saud al-Qahtani was “part of the planning and execution” of the operation that led to the journalist’s murder. Qahtani was investigated but not convicted due to “insufficient evidence,” while Assiri was convicted but eventually exonerated on similar grounds. Both were members of the inner circle with close ties to Crown Prince Mohammed, and were formally dismissed after the scandal. However, according to Western sources, only Assiri has appeared in court.

Mixed opinions

Saudi Arabia’s verdict in the case has been welcomed by the United States, with a US State Department official calling it “an important step in bringing to justice those responsible for this horrific crime.” The diplomat added that Washington is urging Riyadh to increase transparency and hold all those responsible accountable. Salah Khashoggi, the son of the late journalist Khashoggi, who is currently residing in Saudi Arabia, also welcomed the verdict, saying that justice had been served.

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince (right) meets relatives of Jamal Khashoggi in Riyadh a few weeks after the journalist's murder. Photo: SPA

However, this rather soft stance is not the mainstream, with other opinions mostly taking a harder line. Agnes Callamard, a special rapporteur for the United Nations, criticized the verdict as a “mockery”, arguing that the perpetrators were guilty and sentenced to death, but the masterminds were not only free, but were also barely mentioned in the investigations or trials.

Türkiye, for its part, also condemned the verdict, which it called “scandalous,” saying that those who ordered the murder had been “exonerated.” They said the verdict highlighted Saudi Arabia’s efforts to quickly end the crisis, as the country seeks to rebuild its international image ahead of next year’s G20 summit in Riyadh.

"This verdict does not inspire confidence that responsibility has been fulfilled."

HA Hellyer

Similarly, Fred Ryan of the Washington Post criticized the “sham trial,” adding that “those ultimately responsible” in the Saudi leadership had escaped accountability. Meanwhile, HA Hellyer, an expert at the Royal United Services Institute, said: “If the court’s verdict means the Khashoggi case is over, they are unlikely to succeed. Much of the international community believes that the Saudi leadership was behind the killing, and this verdict does not inspire confidence that it has done its job.”

Turkish police investigate at the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul, where journalist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered, October 15, 2018. Photo: AFP/TTXVN

In addition to concerns about the verdict, public opinion is also stirring up questions about who was the mastermind behind the assassination. Qahtani - the head of social media campaigns against criticism of Saudi Arabia - has not appeared in public since the shocking incident, and his whereabouts are still the subject of much speculation. Assiri, on the other hand, was claimed by many defendants in court to have acted on his orders, calling him the "mastermind" of the operation.

Nine court sessions in Riyadh, attended by representatives of the international community as well as the victims’ families, seem to have yet to provide a satisfactory answer. Certainly, Saudi Arabia cannot close this case as soon as they expected, and will have to make more efforts and be more transparent to regain their image in the eyes of public opinion and prestige in the international arena, especially when the G20 Summit is approaching very soon.