[Asia Economy Reporter Yujin Cho] The United Nations has called for U.S. sanctions against the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, who is reportedly approved the assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Agnes Callamard, the UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial executions, stated in a tweet on the 26th (local time) that the United States should impose sanctions not only on Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's personal assets but also on his international activities. She added that he should not be granted immunity related to civil lawsuits.
Saudi Arabia has urged the disclosure of how Khashoggi's body was handled.
Earlier, the U.S. Director of National Intelligence (DNI) released a report evaluating that Crown Prince Mohammed approved the killing of journalist Khashoggi.
In response, the State Department announced visa restrictions on 76 Saudis, and the Treasury Department also imposed sanctions, but Crown Prince Mohammed was excluded from the sanctions list.
This is seen as a compromise reflecting the reality that he holds real power and that Saudi Arabia is a key ally in the Middle East. U.S. President Joe Biden, apparently aware of concerns that the release of the DNI report could strain bilateral relations, had a prior phone call with King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the Crown Prince's father and ruler of Saudi Arabia, the day before.
Khashoggi, a dissident who criticized the Saudi royal family while working as a columnist for the U.S. daily The Washington Post, was killed in October 2018 after going to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to obtain marriage documents. His body is reported to have been mutilated and discarded.
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