A scene from the documentary’Dissidents’ with the appearances of Saudi Arabia’s highest power leader Muhammad Binsalman (left) and Jamal Kashqji (right). AP material photo
The U.S. intelligence agency will soon release a report on the assassination of journalist Jamal Kashqji in 2018. As Saudi Arabia’s Supreme Power Prince Muhammad Binsalman was further revealed to be involved in the case, the point of watching is whether the United States points him behind the assassination. If the U.S. administration concludes that he is the head of the human rights crackdown, it is expected that it will lead to a not small wave of relations between the two countries that have entered into a realignment.
White House spokesman Jen Saki said on the 24th (local time) that “we are committed to the release of the report on the declassification of the Kashukji assassination,” and “it will be released soon through the National Intelligence Service (DNI).” It is expected to appear in the world as early as the 25th, and the report is reported to contain information that it is highly likely that Prince Muhammad ordered the assassination of Kashukji. When asked if President Biden had read the report that day, he replied “yes.”
Kashukji is an anti-regime person who has been working as a columnist for the Washington Post in the US and Japan, and has consistently criticized the Saudi royal family. He was brutally murdered while visiting the Saudi Consulate General in Istanbul, Turkey in October 2018, and no body was finally found. Afterwards, the United Nations and others officially pointed out Crown Prince Muhammad behind the killing of Kashqji through its own investigation results. The U.S. intelligence authorities also suspected the crown prince, but the Saudi government was consistent. Then, last year, when a Saudi court finalized a 20-year prison sentence for five defendants accused of killing the victims and finalized the judicial proceedings, criticism of’cutting the tail’ arose.
The foreign press sees the DNI report as a turning point in the reorganization of relations with Saudi Arabia promoted by President Biden. Unlike Donald Trump’s predecessor, who was silent about the case to check Iran, the Biden administration, which puts human rights in the first place, described Saudi Arabia as a “throwster,” and raised the level of offensive by addressing economic sanctions against Crown Prince Muhammad. Because of this, the release of the report could spur US pressure on Saudi Arabia. The US NBC News predicted that “the report will not only re-establish bilateral relations, but will put an end to Trump’s policy that has taken the role of Saudi Arabia.”
In addition to this, the situation of the involvement of Prince Muhammad’s assassination on this day is added, and the atmosphere is more empowering in the biden administration’s strong position. CNN broadcast reported that 13 of the 15 assassination squads who killed Kashukji were transferred to the sovereign wealth fund chaired by Crown Prince Muhammad in December 2017. Broadcasting said, “The fact that Sky Prime Airlines’ plane was used to assassinate Kashukji provides another link with Prince Muhammad.”
It is also worth noting that President Biden spoke with Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Alsaud on that day. This call seems to be a precautionary measure to ease the conflict, as there are concerns about a crunch in relations between the two countries depending on the level of the report. Last week, the White House “passed” the counterpart of President Biden as King Salman, ignoring the influential Crown Prince Muhammad.
Heo Gyeongju reporter [email protected]
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