Jamal Khashoggi’s US lawyer sentenced to three years following detention in UAE

Hatice Cengiz, the fiancé of murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi, has tweeted out what she believes he would have posted having seen President Joe Biden meet with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

“Hey POTUS, Is this the accountability you promised for my murder? The blood of MBS’s next victim is on your hands.”

Joe Biden could not have been any clearer.

The administration of Donald Trump, it was put to him by a questioner, had failed to punish Saudi Arabia for the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. If anything, it had cemented its ties, with Trump bowing before the Saudi king to receive a heavy and pendulous gold necklace, the Collar of Abdulaziz al Saud no less.

If he was president, what would Biden do? Would he punish the Saudi leaders?

“Yes. And I said at the time, Khashoggi was in fact murdered and dismembered, and I believe on the order of the crown prince [Mohammed bin Salman],” he said with no small steel to his voice.

“I would make it very clear, we were not going to sell more weapons to them. We are going to make them pay the price, and make them in fact, the pariah that they are.”

So what changed?

Andrew Buncombe reports for The Independent.

The much-anticipated meeting between Joe Biden and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman began shortly after the US president touched down in Jeddah on the next leg of his Middle East tour.

On arrival at the Al Salam Royal Palace on Friday, Mr Biden emerged from the “the Beast” and fist-bumped the crown prince who stood ready to greet him.

President Joe Biden has departed the Al Salam Royal Palace after two hours and fifty minutes of talks with Saudi leaders.

His next event will be tomorrow when he attends the Gulf Cooperation Council +3 summit, comprising of the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the UAE, plus Iraq, Jordan, and Egypt.

Fred Ryan, Publisher and CEO of The Washington Post, has joined the chorus of condemnation President Joe Biden is facing for his fist bump with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

In a statement he said:

President Biden is now giving a speech about his Saudi Arabia trip.

Watch his remarks live here, via the White House.

Democratic California Representative Adam Schiff, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, who has been outspoken regarding the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, slammed the president’s fist bump with the crown prince of Saudi Arabia.

In rare criticism of the Joe Biden from a top House Democrat, Mr Schiff tweeted: “If we ever needed a visual reminder of the continuing grip oil-rich autocrats have on US foreign policy in the Middle East, we got it today.”

He added: “One fist bump is worth a thousand words.”