WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and lead author of the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, issued the following statement after the release of a report by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence implicating Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and others involvement in Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi’s murder and dismemberment at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018.

“Jamal Khashoggi’s brutal, targeted killing will no longer be hidden under diplomatic cover. I commend President Biden for putting human rights at the center of U.S. foreign policy and for publicly releasing the details surrounding this horrific murder. The U.S.-Saudi relationship is important to our national security but it should not provide immunity to anyone who engages in such horrific actions.”

“We remain far from delivering justice for Mr. Khashoggi and his family. I urge President Biden and his administration to apply Global Magnitsky sanctions on all those found responsible for the brutal murder of Mr. Khashoggi. I authored the Global Magnitsky Act to ensure accountability for individuals responsible for gross violations of human rights wherever they may occur. America’s strength is in our values. We must defend human rights and hold abusers accountable. Now is the time to send a clear signal that extrajudicial killings are universally unacceptable and that no one is above the law.”

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