UN official investigating Khashoggi murder demands access to Saudi consulate 'crime scene'

The UN investigator in charge of the inquiry into the murder of Jamal Khashoggi has demanded access to the crime scene in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul

MENA

3 min read

The New Arab

27 January, 2019

Agnes Callamard, UN special rapporteur on executions [AFP]

The international investigator in charge of the inquiry into the murder of Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi has demanded access to the crime scene in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul and to visit the kindgom.

“I have requested access to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul and a meeting with the ambassador of the Kingdom of Saud Arabia in Turkey,” Agnes Callamard, UN special rapporteur on executions said in an email to the Reuters news agency.

“I have also sought permission to conduct a similar country-visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”

“It is hoped this will help ensure accountability and transparency in this case and may open new avenues for the prevention and protection of the right to life in other cases, including of journalists and human rights defenders, and accountability for their killings,” she added.

The United Nations special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions will travel to Turkey on Monday to head up an international inquiry into the brutal murder.

"I will be heading an independent international inquiry into the killing of Saudi journalist Mr. Jamal Khashoggi, commencing with a visit to Turkey from 28 January to 3 February 2019," Callamard told Reuters on Thursday.

The UN expert will evaluate the circumstances of the killing and investigate the "nature and the extent of states' and individuals' responsibilities for the killing".

Her findings and recommendations will be reported to the UN Human Rights Council at the June 2019 session.

The inquiry is being conducted at her request and she will be accompanied by three experts, including those with forensic expertise.

“I conceive of this inquiry to be a necessary step, among a number of others, towards crucial truth telling about and formal accountability for the gruesome killing of Mr. Khashoggi,” Callamard said.

In a case that shocked the world, Khashoggi, a US resident and Riyadh critic who wrote for the Washington Post, was murdered and his corpse dismembered inside the kingdom's diplomatic compound in Istanbul on 2 October.

After weeks of denials, Saudi Arabia finally admitted that the murder was premeditated, but blamed it on a "rogue operation".

After evidence emerged that the killing was done by a team of Saudis sent from Riyadh and closely linked to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the international community demanded a transparent investigation.

Turkey and Saudi Arabia have opened separate investigations into the murder but Ankara has repeatedly accused Riyadh of failure to cooperate.

On 15 November, Riyadh prosecutors announced indictments against 11 people, and earlier this month prosecutors said they were seeking the death penalty against five of them.

The UN Human Rights Office said that the trial taking place in Saudi Arabia into the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi was "not sufficient".

Agencies contributed to this report.

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