Name? Mohammed bin Salman
Westphalian identity? Saudi
Age? 35
Why is he in the news? The Biden administration released a report on the killing of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi in which American intelligence agencies concluded MBS approved the planned assassination. The administration thus imposed sanctions on 76 individuals responsible for the oppression of journalists in Saudi Arabia.
Why do we care? Because just like in yesterday’s Daily about the director of the Russian FSB, Alexander Bortnikov, the sanctions are not imposed on the person allegedly behind the order but on the subordinates; in this case, Ahmed al-Asiri. The only real move from Biden against MBS was that he demanded the exclusion of the crown prince from Biden’s call with MBS’ father King Salman. Placing him at the children’s table…a smart move towards the future King of Saudi Arabia?
Why should you care? The sanctions freeze any U.S. assets that the 76 individuals held and generally bars Americans from dealing with them. So just like yesterday, unless you are one of these 76 individuals you should care 1/10, just enjoy the IR drama.
Who else cares? You would assume the family of Jamal Kashoggi right? Human Rights Groups would really like to use the family for publicity work, but the family won’t. In accordance with Saudi customs and traditions, the Kingdom paid (still pays) blood money ($10000 per month) for the murder of their father and in return, the family forgave the executioners and remains silent.
Any further comments? The organisation Reporters without Borders (RSF) has filed a complaint against MBS in Germany. Their complaint claims persecution of journalists in Saudi Arabia, including the arbitrary detention of 34 journalists there and the assassination of Jamal Khashoggi based on the CIA report. Why Germany you may ask? Because German laws give its courts jurisdiction over international crimes committed abroad, even without a German connection, no worries, we did not know that either.
