PARIS, May 16 – France’s national anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office announced Saturday that a magistrate has been designated to investigate the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, following a court decision to accept the case for review.
The investigation will examine allegations of torture and enforced disappearance, according to the prosecutor’s office, known as PNAT. This comes after the Paris Court of Appeal determined on May 11 that complaints submitted by human rights organizations TRIAL International and Reporters Without Borders could proceed, PNAT stated.
However, a separate complaint brought by DAWN, which employed Khashoggi, was rejected by the court, PNAT noted.
Khashoggi was murdered and his body dismembered by Saudi operatives at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul during October 2018, in what U.S. intelligence agencies concluded was an operation directed by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
While the crown prince has rejected claims he ordered the assassination, he has admitted it occurred “under my watch.”
This French investigation opens another legal avenue in a case that has experienced minimal judicial progress elsewhere.
Turkey’s court system suspended its prosecution of 26 Saudi defendants in 2022 and sent the matter to Saudi Arabia, a decision that sparked criticism from human rights advocates.
In America, the Biden administration provided bin Salman with immunity following his designation as prime minister, prompting a federal court to reject a civil case filed by Khashoggi’s fiancée.
French legal statutes permit judges to investigate certain grave crimes that occur in other countries, though criminal prosecutions typically require defendants to be physically located within French borders.
The Saudi government’s media representatives have not yet responded to requests for comment.
