Nearly eight years after the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the case is moving again. France has now opened a judicial investigation against Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The development follows years of investigative work, international cooperation among a network of investigative journalists that also includes us, the sharing of findings, and sustained pressure from human rights organizations and legal initiatives across multiple countries. France’s National Anti-Terror Prosecutor’s Office has now confirmed investigations into allegations of torture and enforced disappearance.
The starting point was a decision by the Paris Court of Appeal on May 11. The court ruled that complaints filed by Reporters Without Borders and TRIAL International were admissible. The move is being seen as a new attempt to establish accountability in a case that caused a political shock worldwide but has produced surprisingly few legal consequences so far.
Read also our article: “Things Happen” - Trump’s Alignment With the Crown Prince and a Deal That Reaches Far Beyond Khashoggi
Jamal Khashoggi was killed on October 2, 2018, inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. The journalist and Washington Post columnist had entered the building to obtain documents for his planned marriage to Hatice Cengiz. He never walked out again. Saudi Arabia initially claimed that Khashoggi had left the consulate alive. Later, Riyadh described the incident as an altercation, followed by a narrative of an intentional killing.
Turkish investigators and later United Nations inquiries reached significantly more serious conclusions. According to the findings, a team of Saudi security personnel had been flown in before Khashoggi arrived. Among them was forensic specialist Salah al-Tubaigy. Turkish intelligence agencies are believed to possess audio recordings documenting the preparations, the killing itself, and the subsequent dismemberment of the body. Khashoggi’s remains have never been found.
American intelligence agencies later concluded that the likelihood of Mohammed bin Salman’s involvement in the operation was “medium to high.” The crown prince himself denied ordering the operation but later stated that the crime happened “under his responsibility.”
What now makes the situation especially significant is that previous legal efforts repeatedly failed. In the United States, Mohammed bin Salman received immunity under the administration of Joe Biden following his appointment as Saudi Arabia’s prime minister. That decision led to the dismissal of an American case. The matter became internationally known, politically debated, and heavily assessed by intelligence agencies without producing serious legal consequences - and that may now be changing for the first time. France is opening a door that for a long time appeared sealed shut. This still does not mean an indictment. But after years of political shielding, a case is moving again that many had already assumed would disappear permanently into archives. That is also what investigative journalism stands for: a solitary traveler moving through dark hours, pulling truth from the wind while fewer and fewer people even stop long enough to support that journey.
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