Evidence suggests
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman and other senior Saudi officials
are liable for the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a United Nations rights
investigator said on Wednesday.
Jamal Khashoggi
Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
There was no immediate reaction from Riyadh which was sent the 100-page report in advance - but the kingdom has regularly denied accusations that the prince was involved.
Agnes Callamard, the U.N. special rapporteur on extrajudicial executions, called for countries to widen sanctions to include the Crown Prince and his personal assets, until and unless he can prove he has no responsibility.
Khashoggi, a critic of the prince and
a Washington Post columnist, was last seen at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul
on Oct 2 where he was to receive papers ahead of his wedding.
His body was dismembered and removed
from the building, the Saudi prosecutor has said, and his remains have not been
found.
“It is the conclusion of the Special
Rapporteur that Mr. Khashoggi has been the victim of a deliberate, premeditated
execution, an extrajudicial killing for which the state of Saudi Arabia is
responsible under international human rights law,” Callamard said in her report
based on a six-month investigation.
Callamard went to Turkey earlier this
year with a team of forensic and legal experts and said she received evidence
from Turkish authorities.
“There is credible evidence, warranting
further investigation of high-level Saudi officials’ individual liability,
including the Crown Prince’s”, she said.
“Indeed, this human rights inquiry
has shown that there is sufficient credible evidence regarding the
responsibility of the Crown Prince demanding further investigation,” she added,
urging U.N. Secretary-General to establish an international probe.
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