Saudi Arabia’s crown prince had no knowledge of the operation, Shaalan al-Shaalan, a spokesman for the prosecutor, said during a news conference in Riyadh, the Saudi capital. He said that 11 suspects had been indicted and that the authorities were seeking the death penalty for five of them. The order to kill Khashoggi, who had criticized the Saudi monarchy over the last year, had come from the leader of the Saudi team in Istanbul, Shaalan said, without naming any of the suspects.
Prosecutor Saud al-Mojeb’s conclusion — that the murder was authorized by a minor official — contradicted assertions by Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has said that the orders to kill Khashoggi had come from “the highest levels of the Saudi government,” without specifying exactly who was responsible.
November 15, 2018
"Saudi Arabia seeks death penalty for five suspects in killing of Jamal Khashoggi"/"Saudi Arabia distances crown prince from killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi."
The front page headline and the top-of-the-article headline in The Washington Post.
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33 comments:
It's called taking one for the team.
KSA leads the world in death penalty executions.
Too bad Hooper isn't alive today. He could paint, "Chop, Chop Square."
In fact, that should be Althouse's next big painting. I will start the bidding at $25m.
Hopper; not Hooper.
But there is a Hooper, Nebraska and scenes from Alexander Payne's "Nebraska" were shot there. Great steakhouse.
As I predicted, not too long ago. This is a lesson for anybody considering doing the dirty work for any large bureaucratic organization. There is no downward loyalty. Once the deed is done, you are expendable.
How would Erdogan know who gave the order? I'm sure he would like to believe that kind of order can only come from the top. It wouldn't be comfortable to think that one of your underlings could do something similar.
But, he's probably right. From early on, I've suspected that the order came from the top, or close to the top. I've also expected some people to be "tried" and punished (put to death or disappeared) for it - not necessarily the ones that actually did it, though. These are all just my conjectures, I have even less evidence than Erdogan, I haven't even followed the events very closely.
Your mission Dan/Jim, should you choose/decide to accept it, ... As always, should you or any of your Force be caught or killed, the Secretary will disavow any knowledge of your actions. This tape/disc will self-destruct in five/ten seconds.
MBS is taking it to a whole new level.
Erdogan is kind of like Trump. It's strange that he gets any respect at all.
And who will now speak out against the death penalty?
Isn't, "without specifying" a more supportive way of saying, "without evidence". "Without specifying" suggested evidence exists to backup the claim, but that such evidence is being withheld to protect either sources or the innocent. Yet, no evidence has been presented to support who did what, so shouldn't the charge be, "without evidence"?
Or is that style book reserved for use only when covering Trump?
Its the way he's done it, time and again, at least one journalist was burned alive if memory serves.
In this case it is best to not believe anything anyone says.
It's good to be the King. Not bad being the Prince either......I believe Assad, Saddam, and Qaddafi had a body count in the tens or even hundreds of thousands. The Prince has barely killed anyone yet, but he's young and just hitting big his stride.
About those clean hands that Erdogan has, not so much. SA should not have killed the "journalist". Erdogan is playing high level politics to discredit SA even more. He wants to take over as leader (I thought about using the German word) of the Middle East. Those in the US and Europe that are fawning over him now are just tools.
Obviously no Saudi inquiry is going to implicate MBS, but in all probability, he was involved. Close associates of MBS appear to have been involved in the operation, and the regime spent weeks dissembling and providing one bogus cover story after another. Regarding Erdogan's power plays, they are largely irrelevant. He would have nothing to grandstand on had the Saudis not engaged in an operation within Turkey. Also, neither Turkey, nor Iran, nor Saudi Arabia has the ability to dominate the region and are apparently locked in a balance of power competition. Also, as I have said many times before, the argument for the US distancing itself from Saudi Arabia existed prior to the current affair.
Bottom line: every person inside the consulate at the time of the murder, should be charged, and moved to a prison.
Not everyone needs to be executed, but there should be a price for their remaining silent after the murder.
Turkey should close the consulate and destroy it, and the Saudi's should pay for the demolition.
"Will no one rid me of this meddlesome journalist?" Just asking, in a rhetorical way.
When the hitmen get hit.
This is MBS's secret service willing to take a "bullet" for him. A swift sword hopefully and a nice pension for their families.
I have no trouble believing that MBS has rivals for power within SA who are capable of carrying this off. It puts MBS in the tricky position of being unable to deny responsibility too vociferously without admitting weakness in his hold upon power.
KSA leads the world in death penalty executions.
Really? I'd have guessed China.
1st rule of assassination, kill the assassin. 2nd rule of assassination, deny, deny, deny.
> Too bad Hooper isn't alive today. He could paint, "Chop, Chop Square."
Tobe Hooper?
Its been a while, but I think he is still alive.
He is good with saws...
Its an honor to die in protective service to your absolute monarch.
Who runs the courts in Saudi Arabia?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_system_of_Saudi_Arabia#Court_structure
Saudi Arabia is an absolute monarchy,[74] and has no legally binding written constitution.[75] However, in 1992, the Basic Law of Saudi Arabia was adopted by royal decree.[76] The Basic Law outlines the responsibilities and processes of the governing institutions but is insufficiently specific to be considered a constitution.[77] It declares that the king must comply with Sharia (that is, Islamic law) and that the Quran and the Sunna (the traditions of Muhammad) are the country's constitution.[76] Interpretation of the Quran and the Sunna remains necessary, and this is carried out by the ulema, the Saudi religious establishment.[75]
A conviction requires proof in one of three ways.[83] The first is an uncoerced confession.[83] Alternatively, the testimony of two male witnesses can convict[83] (four in the case of adultery), unless it is a hudud crime, in which case a confession is also required.[83] Women's evidence normally carries half the weight of men in Sharia courts, however in criminal trials women's testimony is not allowed at all.[83] Testimony from non-Muslims or Muslims whose doctrines are considered unacceptable (for example, Shia) may be discounted.
The death penalty can be imposed for a wide range of offences[88] including murder, rape, armed robbery, repeated drug use, apostasy,[89] adultery,[90] witchcraft and sorcery[91] and can be carried out by beheading with a sword,[89] stoning or firing squad,[90] followed by crucifixion.[91] The 345 reported executions between 2007 and 2010 were all carried out by public beheading.[92] Two executions for "witchcraft and sorcery" were carried out in 2011.[93] There were no reports of stoning between 2007 and 2010.[92]
Retaliatory punishments, or Qisas, are practised: for instance, an eye can be surgically removed at the insistence of a victim who lost his own eye.[56] This occurred in a case reported in 2000.[56] Families of someone unlawfully killed can choose between demanding the death penalty or granting clemency in return for a payment of diyya, or blood money, by the perpetrator.[97] There has been a growing trend of exorbitant blood-money demands, for example a sum of $11 million was reported as being recently demanded.[97]
"Khashoggi's been killed. Round up the usual suspects."
As long as we are being literary:
"Will no one rid me of this meddlesome journalist?"
"Khashoggi's been killed. Round up the usual suspects.""
how about
"Forget it Jake, It's Chinatown"
It raises other questions, what was the evidence, where is the body?
The order to kill Khashoggi, who had criticized the Saudi monarchy over the last year, had come from the leader of the Saudi team in Istanbul, [who just happens to be a close associate of the Saudi Crown Prince!]
Khashoggi's murder was placed in the placed in the hands of 15 Saudis who jetted in on two chartered Gulfstreams from Riyadh earlier on October 2, according to Turkish authorities. Saudi intelligence officer and former diplomat Maher Abdulaziz Mutreb was the highest-ranking Saudi officer.
Mutreb, who was the first secretary at the Saudi embassy in London and has been described as a colonel in Saudi intelligence, is now believed to have played a "pivotal role" in the assassination of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Mutreb is closely connected to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and photographs have emerged of the two together during the Crown Prince's tour of the United States earlier this year.
Yes that comes from Turkish security services, which have just recently indicted a four year old, for conspiracy,
Coups take many forms.
Good that this one is failing too.
Henry said...
Erdogan is kind of like Trump. It's strange that he gets any respect at all.
And who will now speak out against the death penalty?
It is not a power the State should have.
JohnAnnArbor said...
KSA leads the world in death penalty executions.
Really? I'd have guessed China.
Publicly acknowledged executions.
People pretend China isn't murdering thousands of people. Or Turkey. Or Iran.
It makes them feel better when they serve the same people who own the WAPO. It makes them good little tools.
I wish they'd stop referring to this guy as a journalist.
He wasn't.
He wrote a column. That's it.
Didn't need to be killed over it, but he's no more or less special than anybody else who gets an opinion printed.
He was an apologist for Turkey, Iran and Qatar, this is why this detail is interesting:
https://mobile.twitter.com/davereaboi/status/1063151963037188096?p=v
Hey, how many Kurds did Erdogan order killed today? Just asking.
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