President Joe Biden refuse to punish Saudi Prince for murdering Khashoggi
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US President Joe Biden has refused to penalize Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for directing the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. He declined this because he wants to reset US relations with Saudi Arabia, reported The Washington Post, citing US officials.
In October 2018, Washington Post writer and Saudi Critic was dismembered and killed by Saudi State Security agents in Istanbul. A report declassified Friday by the US Office of the Director of National Intelligence discovered that the Saudi crown prince had directly accepted the hit.
During the entire 2020 election campaign, Joe Biden talked strongly about holding Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed responsible for the murder and violating human rights. He said he would make the kingdom a “pariah”
However, his administration has rejected to punish the Saudi prince over the murder. The Treasury Department has declared sanctions against Saudi officials last Friday, yet none of them has been aimed at Prince Mohammed. The State Department has imposed visa restrictions- called the “Khashoggi Ban” – on 76 Saudis connected to the killing, but did not release their names.
“Historically and even in recent history … there have not been sanctions put in place for the leaders of foreign governments where we have diplomatic relations,” Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, told CNN.
The decision was made to avoid flare-ups in the future with the crown prince, and in order to start US-Saudi relations afresh, said a US official who spoke with The Washington Post.
Hatice Cengiz, Khashoggi’s fiancée, also said: “If the crown prince is not punished, it will forever signal that the main culprit can get away with murder which will endanger us all and be a stain on our humanity.”
Though the Saudi Prince has been condemned for his actions over the Khashoggi murder, Joe Biden has somewhat already altered the US’s stance toward Saudi Arabia since he is presiding over the office from January 20.
