French Judge Opens Investigation into Saudi Crown Prince Over Khashoggi Killing

A French judge opened an investigation into Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman over journalist Jamal Khashoggi's October 2018 killing at the Istanbul consulate. The Paris Court of Appeal ruled the complaints admissible on May 11, 2026, after NGOs filed them in July 2022 during Mohammed bin Salman's France visit. The judge will examine whether the assassination constituted a crime against humanity as part of a systematic Saudi government attack.

French judicial investigation

• ▪A French judge will investigate the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi following a complaint filed by NGOs against Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
• ▪The French public prosecutor's office opposed the opening of an investigation in France, arguing that the NGOs' claims were inadmissible.
• ▪The investigation will be entrusted to an investigating judge specializing in crimes against humanity, who will examine whether the complaint can lead to further proceedings.
• ▪The Paris Court of Appeal found the complaints admissible on May 11, 2026 because the possibility that the case could be classified as a crime against humanity could not be ruled out before starting investigations.

Khashoggi murder details

• ▪Jamal Khashoggi was murdered by Saudi Arabian agents at the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul in October 2018.
• ▪Jamal Khashoggi was a journalist for Middle East Eye and the Washington Post.
• ▪Jamal Khashoggi's body was dismembered and has never been found.
• ▪In 2021, the US administration released a report accusing Mohammed bin Salman of ordering Jamal Khashoggi's assassination.

NGO complaints filed

• ▪Reporters Without Borders subsequently joined the complaint against Mohammed bin Salman.
• ▪Trial International and Democracy for the Arab World Now say Mohammed bin Salman ordered the assassination by asphyxiation.
• ▪France is required to open an investigation against any person on national territory who is suspected of torture or enforced disappearance.
• ▪Trial International and Democracy for the Arab World Now accuse Mohammed bin Salman of complicity in torture and enforced disappearance over Jamal Khashoggi's killing.
• ▪Trial International and Democracy for the Arab World Now filed a complaint against Mohammed bin Salman in July 2022 during Mohammed bin Salman's visit to France.
• ▪Democracy for the Arab World Now was founded by Jamal Khashoggi shortly before his death.

Crimes against humanity framework

• ▪The French judge will investigate whether Jamal Khashoggi's assassination was committed as part of a concerted plan by the Saudi government against its opponents.
• ▪The French judge will investigate whether Jamal Khashoggi's assassination constituted a widespread or systematic attack against civilians.

Saudi Arabia's response

• ▪In 2018, Saudi Arabia held a closed-door trial over Jamal Khashoggi's killing that sentenced five people to death while exonerating Mohammed bin Salman.
• ▪In 2025, Mohammed bin Salman referred to Jamal Khashoggi's assassination as a huge mistake during a meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House.
• ▪Mohammed bin Salman has denied ordering Jamal Khashoggi's killing but has said it happened under his watch.

Perspective of NGOs (Trial International, Democracy for the Arab World Now, Reporters Without Borders)

• ▪Trial International and Democracy for the Arab World Now say Mohammed bin Salman ordered the assassination by asphyxiation.
• ▪Trial International and Democracy for the Arab World Now accuse Mohammed bin Salman of complicity in torture and enforced disappearance over Jamal Khashoggi's killing.

Perspective of Mohammed bin Salman

• ▪Mohammed bin Salman has denied ordering Jamal Khashoggi's killing but has said it happened under his watch.
• ▪In 2025, Mohammed bin Salman referred to Jamal Khashoggi's assassination as a huge mistake during a meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House.

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