A newspaper reports on the increase in repression in Saudi Arabia...

The newspaper said in a report, that the Saudi crown prince, since Khashoggi’s killing, has not stopped working to restore his image, which was distorted by the crime, after UN accusations of standing behind it.

She added that next month, Saudi Arabia will host the “G20 summit,” which it sees as an opportunity for its highest appearance since Khashoggi’s killing.

She indicated that (Bin Salman’s) campaign to rehabilitate him got a strong impetus from President Donald Trump, who ignored the reports submitted by the “CIA” and the demands of lawmakers in Congress to hold the Crown Prince accountable, in addition to the humanitarian disaster he caused in Yemen, and the operations Repression and prosecution of dissidents in Saudi Arabia.

The newspaper referred to the recently published book by journalist Bob Woodward, and Trump mentioned his support for the crown prince in Khashoggi’s murder, saying, “I protected his ass.”

She pointed out that despite this, critics say that repression has increased over the past two years in the oil-rich conservative kingdom, and activists, including women, face repression and torture behind bars, in addition to the risk of kidnapping or forcible return to the kingdom by opponents abroad.

The newspaper stated that Saudi Arabia announced last month the imprisonment of a number of suspects who participated in the Khashoggi murder, and the Attorney General’s decision to “final rule” in the case, although the names of the accused were not disclosed, but it is believed that they are part of the band that arrived in Turkey to kill the journalist, They were sentenced to prison terms ranging between 7-20 years.

Agnes Callamard, the Special Rapporteur on cases of immediate execution and extrajudicial killing, said: The judgments issued lack legal and moral legitimacy, and I concluded in a report issued last year that the assassination would not have taken place without the knowledge of the Crown Prince and the Saudi leadership.

The newspaper said that Saudi Arabia carried out a deliberate cover-up operation, and confirmed that Khashoggi was not present in the consulate, to retreat and admit his death, but by a rogue group and not by official orders. But the recordings, which were leaked by Turkey, show another story about a team that came equipped with a forensic doctor and a saw, and discussed how to dispose of Khashoggi’s body after cutting it.

She added that before Khashoggi’s killing, Mohammed bin Salman was fighting a battle against his rivals, who had been dismissed one by one. In 2017, he overthrew the former Crown Prince Muhammad bin Nayef, and after that he detained a number of princes, officials and businessmen at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Riyadh, and gave them the best choice between freedom and waiving their assets, and recently his uncle Prince Ahmed and his cousin, the former Crown Prince Muhammad bin Nayef, were arrested.

The newspaper indicated that Mohammed bin Salman was seen as promising reforms and toured America, where he met with officials and influential people, but after his return he launched another campaign in which activists advocating for women’s rights and their right to drive a car were arrested in 2018, and detainees were prevented from contacting their families or obtaining advice. Legal.

The officials required activist “Loujain Al-Hathloul” to record a video in which she denies being tortured in exchange for her release. “It’s a dangerous situation,” said her sister, “The government is acting without fear, and this is the situation we are in.”

Many American observers called, according to the newspaper, to reconfigure US-Saudi relations after the killing of Khashoggi, but Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia in 2017 and making the kingdom an important part of his strategy made him stick to it and overlook the violations committed by Saudi Arabia.

The newspaper added that many activists do not count on a change in the US position on Saudi Arabia if Trump is re-elected next month.

It quoted Anil Shilene of the Quincy Institute by saying; The deep problems between the two countries did not begin, and they called for a rearrangement of relations, including pressure to end the war in Yemen and lift the blockade on Qatar, which was arranged by the Crown Prince.

The newspaper mentioned that Bruce Riedel, a former CIA analyst, testified before Congress about US-Saudi relations, and said that “Saudi Arabia today is more dangerous to the United States than it is an ally.”