Hattice Cengiz calls on Washington to punish Saudi crown prince

Istanbul, March 1 (AFP/APP): The Turkish fiancee of slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi and a UN rapporteur both called on Washington on Monday to punish Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman over the murder.

The United States on Friday declassified a report that publicly accused the crown prince of approving Khashoggi’s murder in the Saudi Arabia’s Istanbul consulate in 2018. But the United States stopped short of applying sanctions against the 35-year-old de facto Saudi leader, known by his initials MBS. “It is essential that the crown prince, who ordered the brutal murder of a blameless and innocent person, should be punished without delay,” Khashoggi’s fiancee Hatice Cengiz said in a statement posted on her official Twitter.

“This will not only bring the justice we have been seeking for Jamal, but it could also prevent similar acts recurring in the future.” Khashoggi, a US resident and critic of Prince Mohammed who wrote for The Washington Post, was killed and dismembered at the kingdom’s Istanbul consulate after going inside to receive paperwork for his wedding to Cengiz. Cengiz said that “following this report, there is no longer any political legitimacy for the Crown Prince”. But she said the US report did not go far enough.