The Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation is supporting Reporters Without Borders (RSF) in their fight for justice for Jamal Khashoggi and journalists in Saudi Arabia, and in their ongoing goals in the protection of press freedom. 

On March 1, RSF filed a criminal complaint with the German public prosecutor general against Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and other high-ranking Saudi officials for crimes against humanity. 

The foundation said the complaint details the systemic targeting and prosecution of journalists in Saudi Arabia, with a focus on 34 cases of the arbitrary detention of journalists and Khashoggi’s brutal assassination.

According to RSF, the complaint identifies five primary suspects - Bin Salman, his close advisor Saud Al-Qahtani, and three other high-ranking Saudi officials for their organisational or executive responsibility in Khashoggi’s killing, as well as their involvement in developing a state policy to attack and silence journalists.

The complaint follows the publication of a declassified CIA report detailing the decision-making role that the Crown Prince has played in crimes against journalists in Saudi Arabia.

RSF chose Germany to file the complaint, since its legislation lends them jurisdiction over serious international crimes that have been committed outside the country’s borders.

“We have seen the success of this already with the recent conviction in German courts of a former Syrian intelligence officer for crimes against humanity,” the foundation said.

It added that RSF’s engagement in strategic litigation is “a pioneering move for press freedom organisations” countering the systemic treatment of journalists within the Saudi regime.

It said it awaited the German public prosecutor general’s actions and hoped the “long-awaited justice” would finally be served.