WASHINGTON, DC – The arrest of former British royal Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has renewed calls for accountability for Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes and a proper investigation into the late sex offender’s network in the United States and around the world.
British police said on Thursday they had detained the former prince, brother of King Charles, and authorities had launched an investigation into possible misconduct in public office without naming Mountbatten-Windsor.
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Reem Al-Salem, the United Nations special rapporteur on violence against women and girls, said the arrests sent “an important message that no one is above the law, regardless of wealth or connections, even royalty.”
“At the same time, it is important to investigate the involvement of those who enabled and facilitated the crimes of Epstein’s criminal organization,” Al-Salem told Al Jazeera.
She emphasized the need for an independent investigation into individuals and institutions that may have been involved in Epstein’s crimes.
Mr Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest comes weeks after the release of the latest US government documents related to the sexual abuse scandal linking the former Duke of York to Mr Epstein.
Some exchanges suggested that Mr. Mountbatten-Windsor, who previously served as Britain’s trade envoy, shared government information with Mr. Epstein.
The former royal was released late Thursday.
Millions of files related to Epstein have been released by the US government in the past two months since Congress passed a law requiring President Donald Trump’s administration to release the documents.
The files, including emails and text messages, showed that the disgraced financier, who authorities say died by suicide in prison in 2019, maintained friendships and business relationships with wealthy and powerful people around the world.
Some documents and photos suggest that some of Mr. Epstein’s associates participated in, or at least knew about, his sexual abuse ring.
One photo showed Mountbatten-Windsor crouching over a female victim lying on the floor.
The former prince has denied any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein’s sex crimes.
seek justice
On Thursday, U.S. Representative Thomas Massie, one of the leading advocates for the release of the files, called on FBI Director Kash Patel and Attorney General Pam Bondi to take action and bring those involved in Epstein’s sexual abuse to justice.
“America needs justice now,” Massey said of Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest.
The Republican lawmaker shared a video of comments he made on the House floor during debate on the Epstein files bill last year.
“How will we know if this bill is successful? We’ll know when we have men, rich men, being handcuffed and taken to jail,” Massey said in his speech. “And until then, this is still a cover-up.”
Over the years, Epstein assembled a network of hundreds of girls and young women for sexual exploitation. Many of his victims traveled with him and were forced to stay on his private island in the Caribbean.
However, the Trump administration has largely ruled out further charges in the case.
Last year, before the documents were released, the U.S. Department of Justice denied that Epstein had a “client list” of powerful people who trafficked sexual abuse victims.
Earlier this month, U.S. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche sparked outrage when he appeared to dismiss calls for the prosecution of Epstein’s allies.
“We will always investigate any evidence of wrongdoing, but as you know, partying with Mr. Epstein is not a crime,” he told Fox News. “Thus, while horrifying, sending emails with Mr. Epstein is not a crime.”
U.N. expert Al Salem said Blanche’s comments “belittled” the victims and the “horrific experiences” they endured.
She noted that it was known that Epstein was convicted of sexual abuse in 2008.
“Given everything we know and everything that was known at the time by those who were involved with him, no one can claim ignorance,” Al Salem told Al Jazeera.
“But really, at the same time, all defendants should still benefit from a fair and impartial trial. But that’s why we have to have a fair and impartial trial so they can have a defense too.”
Trump connection
At his first conviction, Epstein received a plea deal widely seen as lenient, in which he admitted to soliciting prostitution from a minor and was sentenced to 18 months in prison, which included release privileges.
He was arrested and indicted again in 2019 after media reports scrutinized the 2008 federal prosecution against him led by Alexander Acosta, labor secretary in the first Trump administration.
President Trump himself has been accused of having ties to Epstein, but he said he only knew the late sex offender as a neighbor in Palm Beach, Florida, and ultimately cut him off because he was a “creepy person.”
Last year, the Wall Street Journal published what Trump allegedly sent Epstein a sexually suggestive birthday card in the shape of a naked woman. The US president denied sending the letter and filed a lawsuit against the paper over the allegations.
Democratic Representative Melanie Stansbury wrote to X after Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest: “If the Prince is to be held accountable, then the President will be, too.”
Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the oversight committee, said the former British royal’s arrest was a “huge step” toward accountability.
“Months ago, Watch Democrats called on Mr Mountbatten-Windsor to come clean about his relationship with Mr Epstein, and the UK is now seeking to hold him accountable for this arrest,” Garcia said in a statement.
“It’s time for America to end the White House cover-up. President Trump and the Epstein regime are not above the law.”
In a Reuters/Ipsos poll released earlier this week, a majority of U.S. respondents (53%) agreed that the Epstein file had reduced their “confidence in the country’s political and business leaders.”
Sixty-nine percent also said their opinion was captured by the statement that the files “show that those in power in the United States are rarely held accountable for their actions.”
President Trump’s allies often point out that former Democratic President Joe Biden’s administration had a four-year deadline to release the Epstein files, but did not.
Some prominent Democratic politicians and donors also had ties to Epstein, including former President Bill Clinton and former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers.
‘Organized attacks’ against women and children
This problem is not limited to the United States. The Epstein files have rocked British politics, leading to calls for the resignation of Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who appointed Epstein’s colleague Peter Mandelson as ambassador to Washington.
France and Norway have also launched investigations into corruption and sexual abuse allegations related to Epstein.
Earlier this week, UN experts, including Al Salem, found that Epstein’s crimes “reasonably meet the legal standard for crimes against humanity.”
Al Salem told Al Jazeera that there is a need for an “independent and impartial investigation that spans all countries and all individuals” allegedly involved in Epstein’s network.
“Not only that, we also need to investigate the architecture, or organizational structure, of the alleged company,” she told Al Jazeera.
“We need to recognize that this investigation moves from focusing on individual crimes and isolated criminal transactions to recognizing that we are talking about systematic attacks directed at vulnerable women and children, including girls.”
