The Arab League has expressed its support for Saudi Arabia’s rejection of the conclusions of a report by the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) on the murder of late Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
In a Saturday statement, Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit said that the Saudi judicial authorities are solely responsible for holding accountable those involved in the journalist’s death.
He also expressed the organisation’s support for the statement issued by Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry. The Saudi ministry’s statement noted that the CIA report is not an international ruling made by a decision-making body, and that human rights issues should not be politicised.
The Saudi Foreign Ministry said, on Friday, that it “completely rejects” a US intelligence report accusing Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of approving the operation to kill Khashoggi in Turkey in 2018.
The ministry said the report contained “inaccurate information and conclusions,” the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
“The Kingdom rejects any measure that infringes upon its leadership, sovereignty, and the independence of its judicial system,” the statement by the ministry said.
It added that it has been monitoring the report, which was submitted to the US Congress regarding Khashoggi’s death, and reiterated the conclusions previously announced by the relevant authorities in the Kingdom on the murder.
“This crime was committed by a group of individuals that have transgressed all pertinent regulations and authorities of the agencies where they were employed,” the statement said, “The relevant authorities in the Kingdom took all possible measures within our legal system to ensure that these individuals were properly investigated, and to ensure that justice was served.”
The Saudi Foreign Ministry statement also said that the concerned individuals were convicted and sentenced by courts in the country, and these sentences were welcomed by Kashoggi’s family. It noted that this was an abhorrent crime and a flagrant violation of the Kingdom’s laws and values.
