Fiancee of Saudi
journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was killed allegedly at the behest of Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin
Salman, demanded strict punishment ‘without delay’ against the prince
over the murder, reported AFP. Taking to Twitter, Khashoggi’s fiancee Hatice Cengiz wrote, “It is essential that the Saudi crown prince gets punished without delay for ordering the brutal murder of a blameless and innocent person,” adding that the punishment would not only bring justice to Jamal but would put a stop to such incidents.

The tweets were written in English and Arabic languages.

The United States on Friday declassified a report on Khashoggi’s killing. The report accused Saudi crown prince of approving the journalist’s murder in the kingdom’s Istanbul consulate in 2018.

Also Read: In first talks with Saudi King, Joe Biden focuses on defence, human rights

According to AFP, Khashoggi, a resident of US worked as a journalist for The Washington Post and was known to be strong critic of Prince Mohammed. He was killed in Istanbul when he went there to receive paperwork for his wedding with fiance Cengiz.

On the US declassified report, Cengiz said that there was no longer any political legitimacy for
the crown prince as the truth that was already known to many is now confirmed after the report.

“Yet this is not
enough since the truth can only be meaningful when it
serves justice being achieved,” she added.

The Saudi government, which initially said it had no information on Khashoggi, says it accepts responsibility for the killing but casts it as a rogue operation that did not involve the prince, reported news agency AFP. 

On Friday, the Saudi foreign ministry said in a statement that it “completely rejects” the declassified US report.