Friends of murdered Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi hold posters at an event marking the second anniversary of his killing, in front of the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, on October 2, 2020. (AFP/Ozan Kose)

CPJ disappointed by U.S. appeals court ruling in Jamal Khashoggi lawsuit

Washington, D.C., August 27, 2021–In response to today’s ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia in the Committee to Protect Journalists’ lawsuit asking the U.S. intelligence community to confirm or deny the existence of documents providing information on its duty to warn Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi of threats to his life before his 2018 murder, CPJ issued the following statement:

“We are deeply disappointed by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruling today that U.S. intelligence agencies are not required to disclose whether they knew of threats against Jamal Khashoggi ahead of his murder,” said CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon. “We continue to believe the public deserves the truth in this case and will consider appropriate next steps. Justice for Jamal matters. Journalists cannot be killed with impunity.”