Democratic Rep. Tom Malinowski on Thursday introduced legislation in the US House of Representatives calling for the punishment of those responsible for the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Malinowski said in a special interview with Al Jazeera that the bill applies to everyone, including Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who was reported by US intelligence agencies to have been involved in the crime.
He added that the bill asks US intelligence officials to provide a list of the names of those responsible for the killing, citing US intelligence on the responsibility of Mohammed bin Salman and members of the royal family for the killing of Khashoggi by a Saudi security team on 2 October The second in the consulate of the Kingdom in the Turkish city of Istanbul.
About a month ago, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Sen. Chris Murphy, said discussions were under way to pass a law backed by Republicans and Democrats and punish Saudi Arabia for Khashoggi's murder.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said mid-month ago that there would be US sanctions against the Saudi crown prince. The US Senate issued a resolution last year that held Mohammed bin Salman responsible for the killing of the Saudi journalist.
In his remarks to the island on Thursday, Democratic Rep. Tom Malinowski warned of the consequences of not holding those responsible for the killings accountable even if the culprit was from a partner country like Saudi Arabia. He said anyone involved in the kidnapping and murder of a US resident - in reference to Khashoggi - was not an ally.
The Democrat has blamed the Saudi crown prince for the decline in human rights in his country since taking office, despite promises he made to the Saudis and the world.
He said that the human rights situation in the Kingdom has deteriorated in the past few years, pointing to the arrest and torture of human rights activists and opponents.
For his part, independent Senator Bernie Sanders said on Thursday that the Saudi regime does not respect democracy and human rights, and that its leader - in reference to Mohammed bin Salman - "is undoubtedly involved" in the killing of Khashoggi.
"We said we did not allow a despotic and militant regime in Saudi Arabia to continue to determine the whereabouts of our forces," he said.