A man holds a poster of murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The Biden administration has still not released its full file on the killing of the U.S.-based Saudi columnist.
Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi was brutally murdered by the Saudi Arabian government inside its consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, six years ago this week. The U.S. government has declassified some information on the murder, including its belief that Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammad bin Salman approved the order to “capture or kill” Khashoggi.
But too much remains hidden, and this secrecy both prevents accountability and serves to endanger other journalists.
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In an op-ed for The Daily Beast, Lauren Harper, the Daniel Ellsberg Chair on Government Secrecy for Freedom of the Press Foundation (FPF), urged the Biden administration to declassify more intelligence on Khashoggi’s murder before leaving the White House. Key documents that should be released include records showing whether or not the intelligence community met its “duty to warn” Khashoggi that his life was in danger.
Declassification would prioritize the public’s right to know over America’s relationship with an autocratic ruler, and would show the U.S. won’t tolerate threats to the press.