[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 156 (Thursday, September 26, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Page S5740]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          ONE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THE DEATH OF JAMAL KHASHOGGI

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, today we remember and remind the world that 
nearly 1 year has passed since the premeditated murder of Jamal 
Khashoggi by the Saudi Government.
  That horrific crime, carried out so brazenly as if it were just a 
routine job, exposed the true character of the Saudi Government not 
only as it pertains to Mr. Khashoggi but to the ruthless treatment of 
critics of the Saudi royal family more broadly.
  While the Crown Prince systematically orders the execution of his 
opponents, he has so far escaped punishment for the murder of Mr. 
Khashoggi and for the lies about that crime.
  Multiple Saudi officials, including the Foreign Minister, Minister of 
Interior, and others--all members of the royal family--flagrantly and 
shamelessly lied to the world, repeatedly changing their story.
  The Crown Prince called Khashoggi a ``dangerous jihadist.'' That too 
was a lie.
  The Saudis, who have refused to turn over Mr. Khashoggi's remains, 
insist that the men who were arrested are the only ones involved in the 
murder. No one who knows anything about the Saudi royal family, which 
is the Saudi Government, believes that.
  Despite all the incriminating evidence and all the lies, the White 
House continues to ignore its own intelligence experts and the U.N. 
Special Rapporteur, relying instead on the Saudi royal family to 
investigate itself. What a sham.
  This crime reminds us that journalists the world over who shine a 
spotlight on corrupt, repressive governments risk their lives and the 
safety of their families. They are threatened and killed for nothing 
more than doing their job.
  Today we are also concerned about the fate of hundreds of courageous 
pro-democracy activists who have recently been arrested for protesting 
against corruption and repression in Egypt. Journalists, members of 
opposition political parties, and civil society activists in Egypt are 
routinely persecuted, denied due process, and subjected to prolonged 
physical and psychological abuse.
  If the Saudi royal family can escape punishment for the premeditated 
murder of a Washington Post journalist, what does that say to 
journalists everywhere? What does it say about our own government, if 
we accept that?
  I want to remind the Saudi Government, the White House, and the State 
Department that we do not--and we will not--accept that. Jamal 
Khashoggi was murdered, and there is no reasonable doubt about who is 
culpable. Justice will be done--no matter how long it takes.

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