Khashoggi killing: US lawamaker unveils bill to sanction Saudi Crown

US lawmaker Ilhan Omar on Tuesday introduced a bill to sanction Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for his role in the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Meanwhile, the Biden administration made clear that it would forgo sanction or any major penalty against Md bin Salman in Khashoggi killing, even after a US intelligence report concluded the prince ordered it. Khashoggi, a US resident who wrote opinion columns for the Washington Post criticising Saudi policies, was killed and dismembered by a team linked to the crown prince in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.“This is a test of our humanity. If the United States of America truly supports freedom of expression, democracy and human rights, there is no reason not to sanction Mohammed bin Salman--a man our own intelligence found to have approved the murder of U.S. resident and Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi,” said Omar, a Democrat from Minnesota,

Every minute Mohammed bin Salman escapes punishment is a moment where U.S. interests, human rights, and the lives of Saudi dissenters are at risk.

Today, I introduced legislation to place sanctions on the Crown Prince for his role in the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. pic.twitter.com/MKBzxotVbO

— Rep. Ilhan Omar (@Ilhan) March 2, 2021

Another bill put forward by Democratic Representative Tom Malinowski, called the Saudi Arabia Accountability for Gross Violations of Human Rights Act, aims to ensure that even MBS would be banned from travelling to the US. Malinowski said not sanctioning MBS weakens the administration's stance "[if] we accuse him of the crime and then do nothing to hold him accountable".