When a journalist from the television network ABC News questioned Donald Trump about Khashoggi’s murder, the president called the journalist’s outlet “fake news,” before dismissing US intelligence reports suggesting that MBS had orchestrated the operation, asserting that the crown prince knew “nothing about the attack.” He also described Jamal Khashoggi as “extremely controversial,” adding: “A lot of people didn’t like the gentleman you’re talking about. Whether you like him or not, these things happen.” For his part, MBS called the murder a “big mistake” and claimed that Saudi Arabia had “taken all the appropriate steps” to investigate.
Yet impunity persists. The only real trial concerning the assassination of Jamal Khashoggi, who was killed on 2 October 2018 in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Türkiye, was held in Saudi Arabia, behind closed doors, and resulted in eight convictions out of the eleven defendants. The investigation concluded that “the killing was not premeditated” and that “the decision was made on the spot,” even though the circumstances of the crime indicated the contrary. High-ranking officials, both directly and indirectly implicated, were spared. Hopes for genuine justice were dashed in December 2022, when a US federal judge recognised MBS’s diplomatic immunity, thereby blocking legal action in the United States.
Saudi Arabia among the most repressive countries for journalists
Despite MBS’ promises of reform following Jamal Khashoggi’s assassination, Saudi Arabia remains one of the worst countries in the world for journalists, according to the 2025 RSF World Press Freedom Index. To this day, 19 reporters are imprisoned for their work, and last June, journalist Turki al-Jasser was executed by the Kingdom after being arbitrarily convicted for his social media posts. In 2021, RSF filed a criminal complaint with the German Public Prosecutor General targeting the Saudi Crown Prince and other high-ranking Saudi officials for crimes against humanity, as part of their widespread and systematic persecution of journalists, including the murder of Jamal Khashoggi and the arbitrary detention of 34 journalists.