The United States administration on 17 November ruled that the Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has immunity in the Jamal Khashoggi murder case from the jurisdiction of US courts.
As per reports, Khashoggi, a columnist for the Washington Post, was murdered by alleged order from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, as Khashoggi wrote critically of the crown prince and his policies.
Though the Saudi crown prince had denied his involvement and blamed the event on rogue operatives, the UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, have concluded the order likely came from highest levels of the Saudi government, reported Al Jazeera.
June 2017: Khashoggi left Saudi Arabia for Washington, hoping to continue writing amid a crackdown on dissent in his native Saudi Arabia.
May 2018: Khashoggi met a 36-year-old Turkish PhD student Hatice Cengiz to whom he is soon engaged.
28 September, 2018: After a year in US, Khashoggi visited the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to obtain a document attesting he had divorced his ex-wife, so that he can marry Cengiz.
2 October, 2018: Khashoggi entered the consulate building at 13:14 pm (10:14 GMT), according to surveillance cameras. He has asked Cengiz to contact Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's close aide Yasin Aktay in case anything goes wrong.
With 3 hours passed, Cengiz inquired about Khashoggi and was told that he already left the building through the back door.
3 October, 2018: Saudi authorities issued a statement and confirmed about Khashoggi's disappearance. However, they said that he had left the building. While, the Turkish presidency's spokesperson said that Khashoggi did not leave the consulate.
4 October, 2018: The foreign ministry of Turkey summoned Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Ankara over Khashoggi's disappearance.
However, ambassador denied knowing anything about Khashoggi’s disappearance.
5 October, 2018: Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) said Khashoggi is not inside the consulate. He added that he has no issue and not against a Turkish investigation taking place and searching the mission.
7 October, 2018: Turkey President Erdogan says he remains hopeful about the fate of Khashoggi amid reports that the critic may have been killed, reported Al Jazeera.
8 October, 2018: US President Donald Trump says he is concerned about reports of Khashoggi’s disappearance.
9 October, 2018: The Washington Post reported hat US intelligence had intercepted communications of Saudi officials mulling ti abduct Khashoggi. Following this, Saudi Arabia agrees to let Turkish authorities search the consulate.
10 October, 2018: Turkish media published images of an alleged 15-member Saudi 'assassination squad' for Khashoggi. Also, another Turkish media channel aired surveillance video of Khashoggi walking into the Saudi consulate.
11 October, 2018: Both Ankara and Riyadh said they would form a joint group to look into Khashoggi’s disappearance.
12 October, 2018: Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Interior Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif bin Abdulaziz denied allegations related to Khashoggi's disappearance and alleged murder. Called it “lies” to target the kingdom.
15 October, 2018: Turkish authorities entered the Saudi consulate. Say they found evidence that supports suspicions Khashoggi was killed in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
17 October, 2018: Turkish investigators enter the home of the Saudi consul to search Khashoggi.
18 October, 2018: Turkish media reported Khashoggi was killed 'within minutes' of entering the Saudi embassy in Istanbul.
20 October, 2018: Saudi Arabia confirmed Khashoggi was killed inside the Saudi consulate on 2 October. They arrested 18 nationals and sacked 5 officials.
22 October, 2018: According to Reuters, a former royal court media adviser and top aide to MBS -- Saud al-Qahtani -- orchestrated Khashoggi’s killing at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
23 October, 2018: President Erdogan accuses Saudi Arabia of planning the killing of Jamal Khashoggi days before his murder on 2 October.
10 November 2018: Turkey confirmed to share audio recordings of the murder with several governments, including the US, Germany, France, and the UK, as well as Saudi Arabia. They ended their search for Khashoggi’s body.
15 November, 2018: Saudi Arabia indicted 11 people it deemed responsible for the murder of Khashoggi.
17 November, 2018: The CIA intelligence service reported and concluded that MBS ordered the assassination of Khashoggi in Istanbul.
18 November, 2018: Former US President Donald Trump said he will not listen to the audio tapes of the Khashoggi murder.
19 November 2018: Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir denied CIA claims of MBS involvement in Khashoggi murder.
16 December, 2018: UN chief Antonio Guterres calls for a 'credible” investigation into Khashoggi’s murder.
3 January 2019: The murder trial of 11 suspects begins in Saudi Arabia.
5 January 2019: UN human rights office says Saudi trial is 'not sufficient'.
28 January, 2019: Led by special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions -- Agnes Callamard, a UN team begins an investigation into the murder.
19 June, 2019: Callamard issues report, says MBS and other top Saudi officials should be investigated for the killing. Saudi authorities dismiss the findings in the report.
10 September, 2019: Turkish media release transcripts of audio recorded during murder with all details.
30 September, 2019: In an interview with the US media, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman denies ordering killing of Khashoggi.
23 December, 2019: Eight of the 11 suspects on trial are found guilty. Five sentenced to death by the Saudi court. The ruling also cleared MBS adviser al-Qahtani of wrongdoing.
22 May 2020: Khashoggi’s son Salah released a statement on Twitter saying that he forgives his father’s killers.
3 July, 2020: A trial of 20 Saudis in absentia opens in Turkey.
7 September, 2020: Saudi court overturns the death sentences of the five people who were convicted in Khashoggi’s murder and sentenced to 20 years in prison.
10 September, 2020: Callamard condemns the Saudi trial as 'theatre'.
15 September, 2020: 29 nations rebuke Saudi Arabia at the UN Human Rights Council.
26 September, 2020: Turkish government indicted six more Saudi suspects in absentia.
20 October, 2020: Khashoggi’s fiance Cengiz and rights groups file a lawsuit a Washington, DC's District Court against MBS and over two dozen other top Saudi officials. She also sought damages for his killing in Istanbul in 2018.
19 January, 2021: US Director of National Intelligence's nominee Avril Haines said that the incoming administration of Joe Biden will release the unclassified intelligence report on Khashoggi.
26 February, 2021: The US Office of the Director of National Intelligence's unclassified report placed blame for operation that killed Khashoggi on Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
17 November 2022: US administration ruled that the Saudi Arabian Crown Prince MBS has immunity in the case from the jurisdiction of US courts.
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