Saudis ‘assure’ top US diplomat Pompeo of accountability for Khashoggi murder
- Secretary of state visited Riyadh as part of a Middle East tour, which he is cutting short because of a relative’s funeral
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Monday that Saudi leaders assured him everyone responsible for the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi would be held accountable, as Riyadh tries to resolve its biggest political crisis in a generation.
Pompeo told reporters he had also raised a number of human rights issues with King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, including women’s rights activists who have been detained for months and some allegedly tortured.
Khashoggi, a long-time royal insider who had become a critic of the crown prince, was killed in October in the kingdom’s Istanbul consulate, prompting a global outcry including US Treasury sanctions on 17 people and a US Senate resolution blaming Prince Mohammed.
A CIA assessment accused the crown prince of ordering the killing, which Saudi officials deny. At least 21 Saudis have been detained in the case, with five facing the death penalty. Five officials were also fired, including a senior royal adviser.
“They both acknowledged that accountability needed to take place. They talked about the process that is occurring inside their country, both the investigative process and the judicial process that is taking place,” Pompeo said. “They reiterated their commitment to achieve the objective, the expectations we set for them.”