Saudi Crown Prince MBS says human rights violated by claims he ordered Khashoggi murder

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman has said his human rights were violated by claims he ordered the murder journalist Jamal Khashoggi as he reveals his love for Game of Thrones in an extraordinary interview from his family’s Covid ‘bunker’.

Khashoggi, a former member of the Saudi royal family turned dissident, was killed in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018 before being dismembered and disintegrated.

His murder sparked international outrage that continues to reverberate, with Western intelligence agencies accusing the kingdom’s de-facto ruler, 36, of authorising the killing – tarnishing his reformist image.

However, the crown prince defended himself today, claiming it was ‘obvious’ that he had not ordered the killing and the allegations had ‘hurt’ him a great deal.

In an interview with The Atlantic, given from his Covid ‘bunker’ palace close to the Red Sea, he said: ‘It hurt me and it hurt Saudi Arabia, from a feelings perspective. 

‘I understand the anger, especially among journalists. I respect their feelings. But we also have feelings here, pain here.’

He continued: ‘I feel that human-rights law wasn’t applied to me. Article XI of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that any person is innocent until proven guilty.

MbS also defended himself by saying the journalist was not important enough for him to want to kill.

He added that he had ‘never read a Khashoggi in his life’, before stating that the journalist would not be among his top 1,000 targets to kill ‘if that was how we did things’.

‘Khashoggi would not even be among the top 1,000 people on the list. If you’re going to go for another operation like that, for another person, it’s got to be professional and it’s got to be one of the top 1,000’, he said. 

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman speaks during the Gulf Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in December

Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was allegedly strangled and his body dismembered by Saudi agents

He said that the killing was a ‘huge mistake’ and hoped no more hit squads would be found.

MbS also told two close aides that the murder the ‘worst thing ever to happen to me, because it could have ruined all of my plans’ to reform the country. 

Following the allegations, MbS says he now wants to return the focus to social and economic reforms that he has pushed through to open up Saudi Arabia and diversify its oil-dependent economy. The plans do not appear to include wide political reform. 

The crown prince also gave an insight into his personal life during the interview, revealing how he tries to limit his Twitter usage and eats breakfast every day with his children.

Discussing what he does for enjoyment, MBS said he watches television, but avoids shows that remind him of work such as House of Cards.

However, he did admit to a love for Game of Thrones as it helps him to escape the reality of his job. 

Mohammed Bin Salman revealed he has a love for Game of Thrones (pictured) and tried to limit his Twitter usage

MbS went onto discuss how he did not care whether US President Jo Biden misunderstood things about him, adding that he should be focusing on America’s interests.

Prince Mohammed enjoyed close relations with Biden’s predecessor Donald Trump.

But since Biden took office in January 2021, the long-standing strategic partnership between Saudi Arabia, the world’s top oil exporter, and the US has come under strain over Riyadh’s human rights record, especially with respect to the Yemen war and the Khashoggi murder.  

And asked whether Saudi Arabia rule could transform into a constitutional monarchy, said no, before adding that the country is ‘based on pure monarchy’.