French judge to look into complaints against Saudi crown prince over Khashoggi's killing

Source: Politico

05/17/2026 07:19 AM EDT


PARIS — A French investigating judge will examine a complaint by two rights groups accusing Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of involvement in the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, France’s national anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office said Saturday.

The prosecutor’s office, known as the PNAT, said the case will now be handled by an investigating judge from the crimes against humanity unit after a May 11 ruling by the Paris Court of Appeal.

The complaint was filed by Trial International and Reporters Without Borders. The groups accuse the Saudi crown prince of complicity in torture and enforced disappearance over the killing of Khashoggi, a Saudi dissident journalist and Washington Post columnist who was brutally killed inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul in October 2018. Khashoggi’s body was dismembered and has never been found.

The PNAT said the Paris Court of Appeal found the complaints admissible because the possibility that the case could be classified as a crime against humanity — potentially including the underlying crimes of torture and enforced disappearance — could not be ruled out at this stage.

Read more: https://www.politico.com/news/2026/05/17/french-judge-to-look-into-complaints-against-saudi-crown-prince-over-khashoggis-killing-00925409