French judge to probe complaints against Saudi crown prince over Khashoggi killing

French judge to probe complaints against Saudi crown prince over Khashoggi killing Submitted by MEE staff on Mon, 05/18/2026 - 11:19 The opening of the investigation follows complaints filed by NGOs against Mohammed bin Salman, accused of ordering the assassination of the journalist in 2018 A protestor wears a mask depicting Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman next to people holding posters of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi during a demonstration outside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, on 25 October 2018 (Yasin Akgul/AFP) Off A French judge will investigate the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi , following a complaint filed by NGOs against Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, sources told AFP on Saturday. The Middle East Eye and Washington Post journalist was murdered by Saudi Arabian agents at the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul in October 2018. His body was dismembered and has never been found. In 2021, the US administration  released a report  accusing bin Salman, also known as MBS, of ordering Khashoggi's assassination. The opening of the French investigation follows a complaint filed by the NGOs Trial International and Democracy for the Arab World Now (Dawn), an organisation founded by Khashoggi shortly before his death. They accuse the Saudi de facto leader of complicity in torture and enforced disappearance over his killing, saying he "ordered the assassination by asphyxiation". They filed the complaint in July 2022, during a visit to France by bin Salman, and were subsequently joined by a complaint from Reporters Without Borders (RSF). The investigation will be entrusted to an investigating judge specialising in crimes against humanity, who...

Original source: Middle East Eye