UN 'seriously concerned' over fate of missing Saudi journalist

The UN human rights office says the disappearance of 
Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi from the Saudi consulate in Turkey's largest city is "of serious concern," and is urging the two countries to cooperate in investigating it.

Rights office spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani says it would be "truly shocking" if reports of the death of the prominent US-based journalist are confirmed.

"Yes, this is of serious concern, the apparent enforced disappearance of Mr Khashoggi from the Saudi consulate in Istanbul," Shamsdani told the news briefing in Geneva on Tuesday.

"If reports of his death and the extraordinary circumstances leading up to it are true, this is truly shocking," she added.

Shamdasani said during the briefing that the rights office is urging Turkey and Saudi Arabia to cooperate and conduct an "impartial and independent investigation" into Khashoggi's disappearance in Istanbul and "to make the findings public."

She added that both countries are also obligated to investigate the disappearance under criminal and international human rights law.

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She didn't call for a UN or other international investigations.

Turkish prosecutors are already investigating the disappearance of Khashoggi, who has written columns for the Washington Post critical of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

In the latest turn in the Turkish investigation of Khashoggi's mysterious dissappearance, officials say 15 Saudi nationals, who are at the focus of the probe, took much-needed CCTV footage from inside the consulate when they left Turkey.

The Saudi consulate claimed before that there were no CCTV recordings inside the buildings at the time of Khashoggi’s disappearance.

The Saudi group, which flew into Turkey on jets and was at the embassy at the time of Khashoggi’s disappearance, is suspected to have left Turkey in two jets, one bound for Riyadh via Dubai, and the other to Cairo.

Saudi Arabia has reportedly allowed for the Turkish investigators to search the Istanbul consulate.

Agencies contributed to this report.