By The Financial District
Mar 5, 20212 min
A US intelligence report implicating the Saudi crown prince in the killing of Jamal Khashoggi must be weighed during the Turkish trial of his alleged murderers, the journalist's fiancee demanded on Thursday, Anindita Ramaswamy and Linda Say reported for Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa) reported.
The "new proof" from a declassified report by the US director of national intelligence "directly places a responsibility on the crown prince," Hatice Cengiz said outside a court in Istanbul.
Hearings resumed on Thursday in Istanbul, with 26 Saudi defendants being tried in absentia. The Turkish legal process, which started in July, is the first public trial into Khashoggi's killing.
The Saudi dissident was allegedly murdered inside Riyadh's consulate in Istanbul on October 2, 2018. He was getting papers to marry Cengiz, who was waiting outside.
Khashoggi was strangled to death and his body dismembered, according to the Turkish indictment. Saudi Arabia refused to extradite the suspects, who included Ahmed al-Asiri, ex-deputy chief of Saudi intelligence, and Saud al-Qahtani, a former adviser to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The remains of the Washington Post columnist, who was once close to the royal family, but became a vocal critic of the crown prince, were never found.
On Tuesday, international media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) filed a criminal complaint with German prosecutors against Mohammed and four top-ranking Saudi officials under Germany's universal jurisdiction law.
"No one should be above international law, especially when crimes against humanity are at stake. The urgent need for justice is long overdue," said RSF secretary-general Christophe Deloire. The crown prince is the main culprit in organizing the journalist's killing, RSF said.