News - World:   “Since Jamal Khashoggi’s assassination in 2018 and the subsequent botched trials of his killers in Saudi Arabia and Turkey, it has become clear that no accountability will be achieved in these countries,” denounces the Middle East Desk at Reporters Without Borders (RSF). The man accused of leading them, Saud al-Qahtani, never even stood trial.

Away from the public eye since 2019, the former royal advisor’s name has made a recent comeback within the Kingdom’s social media networks, amid reports hinting at his imminent return to the heart of government: a government now officially headed by none other than Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman himself.

Once the details of the crime started emerging to the public in 2018, al-Qahtani’s name found infamy as that of the man who planned and organized the hit job.

No one was sufficiently punished for the killing of Khashoggi. Under pressure, Saudi Arabia tried eight of the implicated men, in a secret trial behind closed doors that fell far short of international standards. Five of these men received prison sentences, and three the death penalty. But after extracting an apology from Khashoggi’s son in May 2020, the Kingdom reduced the death penalty to 20 year prison sentences. It remains  unclear whether any of these prison sentences have ever been served. Last May, witnesses told The Guardian they had spotted three of the convicted men in luxury compounds in Riyadh.

Hopes were higher for the Turkish trial: a largely symbolic but politically important ordeal in which 26 men were tried in absentia. RSF monitored the court proceedings in Istanbul over the course of two years, until the judge ruled on 31 March to close the dossier and transfer it to Saudi Arabia, just weeks ahead of a reconciliatory visit from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Riyadh. The Saudi judiciary dismissed the case immediately.

his blatant impunity for one of the most horrific crimes against a journalist in modern history has only bolstered those who wanted him silenced, and increased risks for journalists around the world. 

 “Bring me the head of the dog.” With these words spoken over Skype, Saud al-Qahtani is said to have ordered the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, on 2 October, 2018.

Despite the incriminating information, the Saudi government claimed not to have found enough evidence to charge al-Qahtani. Once the key advisor of Mohamed Bin Salman, al-Qahtani never even stood trial. 

He  is believed to have led the 15 men who participated in detaining and killing the Washington Post columnist at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, as well as subsequently covering up the crime.

After news of his involvement in the killing went public- al-Qahtani disappeared from the public eye. He was deposed from his job as royal advisor in early 2019 and fell off the grid. Since then, al-Qahtani has not appeared publicly. His Twitter account went quiet and was then suspended in September 2019.

The radio silence from an otherwise ever-present and influential political figure led many to speculate that his government had killed him to cover up the crime.

Soon after however, on 23 December 2019, Saudi Deputy Public Prosecutor and spokesman Shalaan al-Shalaan said that al-Qahtani had been investigated but was not charged, and that he had been released. 

In 2022, a report in The Guardian revealed that he was sighted, for the first time in years, at the royal courts. “He looks very nervous, almost paranoid,” one official who has seen al-Qahtani told the Guardian, “he is still trying to keep a low profile.” 

 “The sword of the state, it’s supporter, it’s man,” said one user that tweeted a photo of him. “Saud al-Qahtani is an honorable Saudi symbol,” says another account. “He served his country, his king, and the Crown Prince with loyalty and grace.”

Experts believe the tweets are part of an organised campaign aimed at setting the groundwork for the former advisor’s return into government. 

Source: RSF website