U.S. announces sanctions against 17 Saudis over Khashoggi's death
The U.S. Treasury Department announced a round of sanctions against 17 Saudi Arabians Thursday, in response to the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. The sanctions fall under an executive order implementing the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act.
"The Saudi officials we are sanctioning were involved in the abhorrent killing of Jamal Khashoggi," Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said in a statement.
"These individuals who targeted and brutally killed a journalist who resided and worked in the United States must face consequences for their actions. The United States continues to diligently work to ascertain all of the facts and will hold accountable each of those we find responsible in order to achieve justice for Khashoggi's fiancée, children, and the family he leaves behind. The government of Saudi Arabia must take appropriate steps to end any targeting of political dissidents or journalists."
The sanctioned Saudis are: Saud al-Qahtani; Maher Mutreb; Salah Tubaigy; Meshal Albostani; Naif Alarifi; Mohammed Alzahrani; Mansour Abahussain; Khalid Alotaibi; Abdulaziz Alhawsawi; Waleed Alsehri; Thaar Alharbi; Fahad Albalawi; Badr Alotaibi; Mustafa Almadani; Saif Alqahtani; Turki Alsehri; and Mohammed Alotaibi.
Khashoggi's death prompted international outrage, and President Trump's reluctance to criticize the Saudis was criticized by observers. The president has expressed that he doesn't want to disrupt the financial relationship the. U.S. has with the Saudis.
"I don't want to lose all of that investment being made into our country. I don't want to lose a million jobs, I don't want to lose $110 billion dollars in terms of investment," Trump told reporters outside the White House on Monday. "But it's really $450 billion if you include other than military. So that's very important."
It's unclear whether the U.S. will take any further action to punish the Saudis.
Khashoggi disappeared after entering the Saudi consulate in Turkey last month. The Saudis initially said he left the embassy, before ultimately acknowledging that he died inside, after what Saudi officials described as a brawl gone wrong.