‘Justice for Jamal Khashoggi’ banner flies over Atlanta on Super Bowl weekend
This weekend, a banner demanding justice for Jamal Khashoggi is flying over the Super Bowl festivities in Atlanta to remind the world of his killing.
A group of American private citizens joined the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) in a campaign to highlight the injustice still surrounding the brutal murder of Washington Post journalist Khashoggi, the CPJ said in a statement.
The CIA concluded that Khashoggi's murder was ordered by Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), the crown prince and de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia. Since that murder, MBS has tried to cover up his guilt by refusing calls for an international investigation and conducting a sham trial, the statement said.
"There can be no justice until the mastermind who ordered Jamal's assassination is held accountable," said David Prum, a representative of the #JusticeForJamal group. "From the war on Yemen to the imprisonment and torture of journalists, political opposition figures and women activists, Saudi Arabia is a persistent abuser of human rights."
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Saudi officials have consistently denied that MBS had any knowledge of the crime.
Still, the United Nations special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Agnes Callamard, is leading an "independent international inquiry" into the murder of Khashoggi, Reuters reported. She is currently in Turkey.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan have demanded an international investigation into the journalist's murder.
Cavusoglu accused Western countries of trying to cover up the Khashoggi case and said Turkey was preparing for an international probe into his murder.
US President Donald Trump has stood by the kingdom, citing Riyadh's arms deals with the United States and its role in containing oil prices. He has also attempted to shield MBS from the fallout, reiterating Saudi authorities' denial of any involvement by the kingdom's de facto leader.
According to the CPJ, Khashoggi was one of 34 journalists singled out for murder worldwide last year.
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