The German government is condemning the killing of writer Jamal Khashoggi and calling on Saudi Arabia to hold those responsible to account.
In a joint statement Saturday, Chancellor Angela Merkel and Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said they were “greatly saddened” by the confirmation that the Washington Post columnist was killed at Saudi Arabia’s consulate in Istanbul.
Both said they “condemned the crime in the sharpest possible manner,” adding that they expected “transparency from Saudi Arabia about the circumstances of (Khashoggi’s) death and the background.”
Merkel and Maas said that “those responsible must be held to account.” They said “the information provided about the sequence of events in the consulate in Istanbul isn’t sufficient.”
They also expressed their condolences to Khashoggi’s family and friends, “whose fears have now been sadly proven true.”
Germany has joined other nations in calling for a credible investigation into Khashoggi’s death.
Berlin has long-standing economic ties with Riyadh that include significant arms shipments. According to official figures, the German government has authorized arms exports worth 254 million ($291 million) euros to Saudi Arabia since March.
Thank you Merkel for adding your voice to this coverup by Saudis and Trumps.
What the heck is wrong with the comment pages on all the articles today? I’ve emailed TPM but gotten no response. Just frustrated.
It’s nice someone finally got around to that.
A UK newspaper last April published a report that Jared Kushner handed MBS a list of the people who have criticized his royal highness in the West. Surely Khashoggi was on it? Will MBS systematically dismember the rest?
Merkel should just call the Saudi’s defense lawyer, President Donald J. Trump.
Richest people in the world have the worst defense attorney ever, The bonus; They can’t fire him.
It’s great that Germany under Merkel has taken up the role of moral leadership in the world that we’ve abdicated under Trump. I can’t begin to express my disgust that Trump, officially, speaks for all Americans.
The “or else” is definitely strongly implied by Merkel. Just waiting for Trump to attack her instead of that murderous goon and friend of Kushner, MBS.