The French inquiry adds a new legal front in a case that has seen limited judicial follow-up to date
A French judge has been appointed to lead an inquiry over the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. the country's national anti-terrorism prosecutor's office (PNAT) said on Saturday, after a court ruled the case admissible.
The probe, covering charges of torture. enforced disappearance, follows a May 11 ruling by the Paris Court of Appeal that deemed complaints filed by human rights groups TRIAL International and Reporters Without Borders admissible, PNAT said.
A separate complaint filed by DAWN, Khashoggi's employer, was ruled inadmissible, the PNAT added.
Khashoggi was killed. dismembered by Saudi agents in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October 2018, in an operation that US intelligence believed was ordered by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The crown prince has denied ordering the killing but acknowledged it took place "under my watch".
Read More:Trump says Bin Salman 'knew nothing' about Khashoggi murder
The French inquiry adds a new legal front in a case that has seen limited judicial follow-up to date.
A Turkishcourt halted its own trialof 26 Saudi suspects in 2022. transferred the case to Saudi Arabia, a ruling that drew condemnation from rights groups.
In the United States. theBiden administration granted bin Salman immunityafter his appointment as prime minister, leading a federal court to dismiss a civil lawsuit brought by Khashoggi's fiancée.
French law allows judges to open inquiries into certain serious crimes committed abroad. although prosecutions generally require suspects to be present on French territory.
The Saudi government media office did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see ourComments FAQ
Discussion
Sign in to join the thread, react, and share images.