"The crime against Jamal Khashoggi was a horrific act, planned at the highest levels of the Saudi state against a dissident journalist and an independent voice," said Emmanuel Daoud, a lawyer for Reporters Without Borders, after French justice decided to open the way for investigations into the murder of the Saudi journalist.
Trial International's lawyer, Henri Thulliez, also stated that "there should no longer be any obstacles" to launching a judicial investigation into the crime against Khashoggi.
According to AFP, an investigative group in Paris will examine the circumstances of the murder of dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018, following complaints filed by human rights organizations against Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The crown prince and Saudi Arabia faced strong international backlash after Khashoggi's murder at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. US intelligence services believe Mohammed bin Salman bore direct responsibility for the event.
Jamal Khashoggi, who also had American citizenship, had published an article critical of the Saudi kingdom in The Washington Post. He was later killed and his body dismembered inside the Saudi diplomatic compound.
The lawsuit was initially filed in France in July 2022 by DAWN-Democracy for the Arab World Now and Trial International, during Mohammed bin Salman's visit to the country. Reporters Without Borders later joined the complaint.
The National Counter-Terrorism Prosecutor's Office confirmed that investigators from the crimes against humanity unit will verify the complaint of torture and enforced disappearance. The decision comes after years of legal wrangling, after French prosecutors had opposed opening the case. However, the Court of Appeal ruled in favor of human rights organizations, a development they see as a key step towards bringing justice for the murdered journalist.
