{"slug":"khashoggi-cover-up-saudi-impunity","title":"Khashoggi Assassination Cover-Up: Trump's Protection of Saudi Arabia from Accountability","date":"2018-10-02","lastUpdated":"2021-02-26","description":"Saudi journalist and Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2, 2018, by a team of Saudi agents acting on orders from Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Despite overwhelming evidence and a CIA assessment attributing the killing to MBS directly, the Trump administration blocked accountability and shielded Saudi Arabia from consequences.","summary":"Khashoggi was killed and dismembered in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul by a 15-person hit squad sent from Riyadh. The CIA concluded with high confidence that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman personally ordered the killing. Trump publicly sided with Saudi Arabia over his own intelligence agencies, blocked sanctions on MBS, and used the murder as leverage in arms sales negotiations.","category":"foreign-policy","severity":"extreme","ongoing":false,"sources":[{"url":"https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/cia-concludes-saudi-crown-prince-ordered-jamal-khashoggis-assassination/2018/11/16/98c89fe6-e9b2-11e8-a939-9469f1166f9d_story.html","title":"CIA concludes Saudi crown prince ordered Khashoggi's assassination","publisher":"The Washington Post"},{"url":"https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/20/world/middleeast/saudi-arabia-khashoggi-death.html","title":"Saudi Arabia Acknowledges Khashoggi Died in Consulate","publisher":"The New York Times"},{"url":"https://www.odni.gov/files/ODNI/documents/assessments/Assessment-Saudi-GOV-Role-in-JK-Death-20210226v2.pdf","title":"Assessing the Saudi Government's Role in the Killing of Jamal Khashoggi","publisher":"Office of the Director of National Intelligence"},{"url":"https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/HRBodies/HRCouncil/RegularSession/Session41/A_HRC_41_38.pdf","title":"Unlawful death of Mr. Jamal Khashoggi: Report of the Special Rapporteur","publisher":"UN Human Rights Council"},{"url":"https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-46278515","title":"Khashoggi: Trump says 'we may never know' who killed journalist","publisher":"BBC News"}],"draft":false,"status":"published","tags":["khashoggi","saudi-arabia","extrajudicial-killing","journalist","press-freedom","first-term","cover-up","MBS"],"relatedEntries":[],"timeline":[{"date":"2018-10-02","title":"Khashoggi killed in Saudi consulate","summary":"Jamal Khashoggi enters the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to obtain documents for his upcoming marriage. A 15-person Saudi hit squad — including members of MBS's personal security detail — is waiting. He is killed and dismembered inside the consulate."},{"date":"2018-10-06","title":"Saudi Arabia initially denies knowledge","summary":"Saudi Arabia denies any knowledge of Khashoggi's whereabouts. Turkish officials indicate they have audio recordings of the killing."},{"date":"2018-10-20","title":"Saudi Arabia acknowledges Khashoggi died in consulate","summary":"Under international pressure and after Turkey releases details of audio evidence, Saudi Arabia acknowledges that Khashoggi died inside the consulate — claiming it was a fight gone wrong."},{"date":"2018-11-16","title":"CIA concludes MBS ordered killing","summary":"The Washington Post and other outlets report that the CIA has concluded with high confidence that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman personally ordered the assassination."},{"date":"2018-11-20","title":"Trump refuses to sanction MBS","summary":"Trump releases a statement titled 'America First!' defending Saudi Arabia, saying 'maybe he did and maybe he didn't' about MBS's role, and listing arms deals as the reason for continued partnership."},{"date":"2019-06-19","title":"UN Special Rapporteur report","summary":"UN Special Rapporteur Agnes Callamard releases a report finding the killing was a 'premeditated extrajudicial execution' for which Saudi Arabia bears state responsibility and calling for a criminal investigation of MBS."},{"date":"2021-02-26","title":"Biden declassifies DNI assessment","summary":"The Biden administration declassifies the DNI assessment confirming MBS ordered the killing — but Biden imposes visa restrictions on Saudi officials rather than personal sanctions on MBS."}],"location":{"name":"Saudi Consulate, Istanbul, Turkey","lat":41.0082,"lng":28.9784},"custom":{"era":"first-term","posture":"reported","warCrimeClassification":"enabling","internationalLaw":[{"statute":"UN Charter","article":"Article 2(4)","provision":"Prohibition on state-sponsored extraterritorial assassination of foreign nationals"},{"statute":"International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights","article":"Article 6","provision":"Right to life — state-directed extrajudicial killing of a journalist violates Article 6 and the right to freedom of expression under Article 19"},{"statute":"Vienna Convention on Consular Relations","article":"Article 55","provision":"Consular premises may not be used in any manner incompatible with the exercise of consular functions — the murder violated this prohibition"}],"iccRelevance":false,"victims":"Jamal Khashoggi, Saudi journalist and Washington Post columnist, killed October 2, 2018, age 59","perpetrators":"Mohammed bin Salman (Saudi Crown Prince, ordered killing per CIA assessment); Trump administration (blocked accountability, shielded MBS from consequences)","structuredVictims":[{"name":"Jamal Khashoggi","group":"Saudi dissident journalist and Washington Post columnist","status":"Killed inside Saudi consulate in Istanbul, October 2, 2018"}],"structuredPerpetrators":[{"name":"Donald Trump","role":"President of the United States","institution":"White House"},{"name":"Jared Kushner","role":"Senior Advisor to the President","institution":"White House"}],"updateLog":[{"date":"2021-02-26","summary":"Updated with declassified DNI assessment and Biden's limited response."}]}}