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UN official says Saudi state murdered Khashoggi

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UN special rapporteur, Agnes Callamard, yesterday published a report for the UN Human Rights Council attributing state responsibility for the killing of Jamal Khashoggi to Saudi Arabia.

Khashoggi, a US-based dissident former Saudi official, was murdered in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul last October. Eleven Saudi men are currently on trial in Saudi Arabia for the murder, which the Saudi Government claim was a rogue operation gone wrong. Callamard, a French human rights expert, rejects this conclusion. She said in her report that it was: “An extrajudicial killing for which the state of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is responsible. There is credible evidence, warranting further investigation of high-level Saudi Officials’ individual liability, including the Crown Prince’s.”

Callamard’s report includes transcripts of recordings from inside the consulate, heard by the rapporteur, which appear to show the perpetrators preparing to murder and dismember the victim, before he entered the consulate. The report harshly criticises Saudi handling of the investigation and criminal trial for lacking transparency. The report says that this was an international crime over which there is universal jurisdiction, and calls on the UN Security Council to initiate a criminal investigation.

Saudi foreign minister, Adel Aljubeir, hit back in a series of tweets. He attacked the rapporteur directly, claiming, her report: “Contains clear contradictions and baseless allegations challenging her credibility.” He further asserted Saudi sovereign rights and that: “Saudi judicial authorities are the sole competent authorities to hear this case and are exercising their competencies in total independence.”

The murder of Khashoggi, who was a columnist for the Washington Post, has been a diplomatic and political disaster for Saudi Arabia, and especially for Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, who is widely suspected of direct involvement. The event created a severe strain in relations with Turkey, and was embarrassing for Western governments with close ties to Saudi Arabia and the young Crown Prince.