The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini, announced on Saturday 17 November that the EU would examine ‘in due course’ possible measures against those responsible for the murder of journalist Khashoggi.
"In due course, the EU and its Member States will consider how they can act together to take appropriate action against those responsible in support of the rules-based international system,” she announced in a statement on behalf of the Twenty-Eight.
Germany did not wait for a European decision to act. Considering that there were “even more questions than answers in the Khashoggi case [...] Germany has initiated proceedings to ban the entry into the Schengen area of 18 Saudi nationals suspected of having a link to this crime”, announced German diplomatic chief Heiko Maas on his arrival at the Council on 19 November. According to him, his country has aligned its actions with those of France and the United Kingdom. A French source said that Paris was examining the implementation of similar measures and London had announced, at the end of October, that it was working on such sanctions.
In her statement, Ms Mogherini said that the EU, together with its international partners, would closely monitor the results of the assassination investigation and continue to stress that Riyadh must put in place measures to ensure that such a thing never happens again.
This statement comes at a time when the Saudi courts have exonerated Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman. However, according to anonymous sources quoted by the Washington Post, the CIA concluded that the prince had ordered the journalist's murder.
In its statement, while noting the Saudi announcements, the EU states that “it remains necessary to fully clarify the circumstances surrounding this heinous crime and to ensure the responsibility of all those responsible for it”. Ms Mogherini reiterated once again the EU' s call for “a thorough, credible and transparent investigation into” the journalist's murder.
According to the Twenty-Eight, “the beginning of a judicial process should be a step towards accountability and "due process will be an important element in ensuring justice in this case”. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)