IV 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 472 

Requesting the President to strongly condemn Jamal Khashoggi’s killing, 

hold accountable individuals identified as culpable, and condemn imprisonment of and violence against journalists around the world. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 27, 2019 

Ms. SPEIER (for herself, Mr. HASTINGS, Mrs. BUSTOS, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. 

THOMPSON of California, Ms. TITUS, Mr. CARTWRIGHT, Mr. TAKANO, 

Ms. DELBENE, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mrs. DAVIS of California, Ms. JUDY

CHU of California, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, Mr. SIRES, Mr. CONNOLLY, Mr. 

CASTRO of Texas, Mr. MCNERNEY, Mr. ESPAILLAT, Ms. JACKSON LEE, 

Mr. COSTA, Ms. DELAURO, Mr. RASKIN, Mr. SUOZZI, Mr. MALINOWSKI, 

Mr. DESAULNIER, Mr. MORELLE, Mr. CASTEN of Illinois, Ms. BASS, Mr. 

VARGAS, Mr. GARAMENDI, Mr. GALLEGO, Mr. KHANNA, Mr. CISNEROS, 

and Mr. DEFAZIO) submitted the following resolution; which was referred 

to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 

RESOLUTION 

Requesting the President to strongly condemn Jamal 

Khashoggi’s killing, hold accountable individuals identified as culpable, and condemn imprisonment of and violence against journalists around the world. 

Whereas Jamal Khashoggi was a Saudi journalist born on 

October 13, 1958, who was murdered in the Saudi Arabian consulate in Turkey on October 2, 2018; 


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•HRES 472 IH 

Whereas Mr. Khashoggi wrote for and edited a number of 

publications, including the Washington Post, Al Watan, 

Arab News, and Al Madina; 

Whereas, during his career, Mr. Khashoggi covered events in 

Afghanistan, Algeria, Kuwait, and across the Middle 

East; 

Whereas Mr. Khashoggi represented a rare example of a 

journalist in Saudi Arabia by questioning regime policies 

and covering unfavorable events; 

Whereas Mr. Khashoggi became a champion of American values, including democracy, freedom of the press, and women’s rights; 

Whereas Mr. Khashoggi openly questioned the Saudi regime’s 

policies, including its war in Yemen, crackdown on dissenters, and isolation of Qatar; 

Whereas voicing differences with Saudi Arabia’s rulers forced 

Mr. Khashoggi to flee Saudi Arabia; 

Whereas Mr. Khashoggi became a permanent resident of the 

United States in June 2017 and began writing for the 

Washington Post in September 2017; 

Whereas the Saudi regime targeted Mr. Khashoggi and his 

writings by marshaling a host of online trolls to 

delegitimize and harass Mr. Khashoggi and other Saudi 

dissidents; 

Whereas Saudi officials lured Mr. Khashoggi to the Saudi 

consulate in Istanbul under a false sense of security; 

Whereas upon arrival Mr. Khashoggi was tortured, killed, 

and dismembered by Saudi agents flown in from Saudi 

Arabia for this purpose; 


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•HRES 472 IH 

Whereas the Saudi regime subsequently engaged in a weekslong campaign of obfuscation, deception, and lying to 

deny Saudi involvement in Mr. Khashoggi’s murder; 

Whereas, when confronted with clear evidence of Mr. 

Khashoggi’s death at the hands of Saudi agents, Saudi 

officials blamed the murder on rogue operators within its 

Government; 

Whereas the Trump administration subsequently sanctioned 

only relatively junior Saudi officials, many of whom had 

been identified as culpable by the Saudi regime; 

Whereas an independent report conducted by United Nations 

investigator Agnes Callamard concluded that there is 

‘‘sufficient credible evidence’’ that Saudi Arabia’s Crown 

Prince bears responsibility for the assassination and that, 

based on definitions in international law, the kingdom 

conducted Khashoggi’s ‘‘deliberate, premeditated execution’’; and that Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince should face 

‘‘targeted sanctions . . . until and unless evidence is provided and corroborated that he carries no responsibilities 

for this execution.’’; 

Whereas President Trump has explicitly prioritized Saudi 

purchases of United States weaponry over the Saudi regime’s murder of Mr. Khashoggi and continues to show 

disrespect for journalistic freedoms; 

Whereas Saudi Arabia’s leaders continue to crack down on 

dissenters and reforms, disregard basic rights, and perpetrate destabilizing foreign policies; 

Whereas the Committee to Protect Journalists found that, in 

2018, there were at least 251 journalists imprisoned because of their work globally; 


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•HRES 472 IH 

Whereas, in 2018, Saudi Arabia imprisoned at least 16 journalists for their work; 

Whereas Turkey, China, and Egypt all imprison high numbers of journalists; 

Whereas, in 2018, the Committee to Protect Journalists 

found that there were at least 54 journalists killed globally, including in the United States; 

Whereas President Trump has been reluctant to condemn the 

killing and imprisonment of journalists generally and Mr. 

Khashoggi in particular; and 

Whereas President Trump has himself praised violence 

against journalists and called the media the ‘‘enemy of 

the American people’’: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives requests 

2 that the President— 

3 (1) strongly condemn Jamal Khashoggi’s killing 

4 and hold accountable individuals identified as cul5 pable by United States intelligence agencies; 

6 (2) condemn imprisonment of and violence 

7 against journalists around the world; 

8 (3) cease describing the media in terms that 

9 could encourage violence against journalists; and 

10 (4) use tools of United States power, including 

11 diplomacy, sanctions, and military sales, to encour12 age other countries to respect and further press free13 dom. 

Æ 


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