Dubai, United Arab Emirates (CNN)–The fiancée of the late Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Khadija Cengiz, claimed on Monday that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had submitted a petition through his lawyer regarding the lawsuit she filed once morest him in the United States over Khashoggi’s murder. He said that he has immunity from prosecution because he became prime minister.
CNN in Arabic contacted the Saudi authorities for comment on Cengiz’s allegations, without a response at the time of writing.
It is noteworthy that Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz issued, last month, a royal order to reconstitute the Council of Ministers to be headed by his Crown Prince, Prince Muhammad bin Salman.
US President Joe Biden said on the sidelines of his visit to Saudi Arabia last July that his decision to confront Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman over Khashoggi’s killing was denied, adding that the prince did not agree with him regarding US intelligence assessments.
Adel Al-Jubeir, Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, revealed in a previous interview with CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer last July, part of what took place between the US President and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, noting that Biden mentioned the issue of the killing of the Saudi journalist in the reception ceremony. .
Al-Jubeir said in the interview, “Initially, during the reception, the president mentioned that this is a problem, and mentioned that he took Saudi Arabia’s assurances at face value. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince made it clear that this is a tragedy for Saudi Arabia and that those responsible have been investigated, faced justice and are now paying the price for the crime. Then we moved to the official discussions and discussed important issues in terms of revitalizing the relationship, energy security, renewable energy and climate change, and moving forward in the future, the Iranian threat, the field of combating terrorism and financing terrorism, the level of trade and investment relations between the two countries, as well as Yemen and the importance of stability and peace In the Middle East, technology and the five and six groups, how the two countries can work to explore outer space and many other issues.
In response to his question whether he had heard what Khashoggi’s former fiancée, Khadija Cengiz said, that she wanted President Biden to ask the crown prince regarding the location of Khashoggi’s body, and whether the crown prince might answer this question, Al-Jubeir said, “I did not see her question, and I do not know.” We know the location of the body, we conducted an investigation and published the results of that investigation when the public prosecutor issued the charges once morest the accused.”
And the US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, published a tweet, Sunday evening, in which he commented on the fourth anniversary of the killing of the Saudi journalist in his country’s consulate in Istanbul in 2018.
“The murder of Jamal Khashoggi 4 years ago was also an attack on freedom of expression everywhere,” Blinken said in his tweet. “While we mourn Jamal, we will continue to stand with and support human rights defenders, journalists and others to protect fundamental freedoms around the world.”
For her part, Hatice Cengiz, who was engaged to Khashoggi when he was killed, responded by tweeting, “I think you can do more than send a memorial message.”