US Likely to Release 'Kashoggi Murder Report'...Will Relations with Saudi Arabia Sour?

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Onyu Lim] The Biden administration is reportedly set to release a report related to the murder of Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi as early as next week. There are expectations that the already strained US-Saudi relations, which have become tense since President Biden took office, could worsen further.

The Washington Post (WP) reported on the 19th (local time), citing sources, that the US government plans to declassify and release the Khashoggi report prepared by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) as early as next week. In response, an ODNI spokesperson stated, "We will not comment on the content or timing of the declassified report."

The US Congress passed a provision in the National Defense Authorization Act (defense budget law) in February 2020 requiring intelligence agencies to disclose information about those who killed Khashoggi and those who ordered or conspired in the killing. However, intelligence agencies did not disclose Khashoggi-related information amid opposition from then-President Donald Trump, despite legal controversies.

Khashoggi was a columnist for WP and a dissident who criticized the Saudi royal family. He was brutally murdered in October 2018 at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, and his body has never been found.

In September last year, a Saudi court sentenced eight defendants charged with killing Khashoggi to prison terms ranging from 7 to 20 years. Among them was a subordinate of a close aide to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia's powerful prince. However, the allegations of Crown Prince Mohammed's involvement were not addressed during the judicial process, leading to criticism that the case was closed by scapegoating.

Despite the Saudi government's denial that Crown Prince Mohammed was involved, a leaked assessment from the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) last year indicated that the Crown Prince ordered the killing.

In July last year, during the Trump administration, John Ratcliffe, Director of ODNI, told Congress, which was demanding information disclosure, that "further disclosure regarding the Khashoggi killing could jeopardize the safety and operations of US intelligence sources," and that there was nothing more to release.

However, this stance changed rapidly with the Biden administration. During the election campaign, President Biden described Saudi Arabia as a "pariah" and showed a negative attitude toward human rights issues. Avril Haines, who became ODNI Director after the Biden administration took office, expressed her intention to release the Khashoggi report during a Senate hearing, stating, "We will clearly follow the law."

WP reported that even without Director Haines' will or congressional pressure, legal proceedings demanding the report's release are progressing swiftly in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York. The Open Society Justice Initiative requested all records related to Khashoggi's murder and those responsible, including classified CIA reports, in 2019 under the Freedom of Information Act.

The court ordered the creation of a responsive index, but the Trump administration requested an extension. The Biden administration has requested another extension until next month.

Separately, the Open Society Justice Initiative filed a lawsuit last summer requesting the release of a two-page document from ODNI. Additionally, the Committee to Protect Journalists and others initiated a lawsuit last year demanding records related to the government's "duty to warn" about threats faced by Khashoggi. This lawsuit completed oral arguments before President Biden's inauguration and is awaiting a decision from the Washington DC Court of Appeals.

WP reported that amid recent instability in US-Saudi relations, the timing for the ODNI report's release has arrived.

Since taking office, the Biden administration has criticized Saudi Arabia for human rights abuses and suppression of dissidents and declared a halt to arms sales to the kingdom.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said at a press briefing on the 16th, "We are willing to recalibrate our relationship with Saudi Arabia," adding that President Biden's counterpart is King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, not Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is considered the de facto ruler.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.