UN begins Khashoggi murder probe in Turkey
January 28, 2019
UN human rights expert Agnes Callamard met with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Monday as part of an inquiry into the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, in October last year.
Although the meeting was closed to the media, Minister Cavusoglu tweeted this photo of the talks.
Callamard is the UN’s Special Rapporteur on Extra-Judicial Executions. She is leading the organization’s probe, which aims will assess "the nature and extent of States’ and individuals’ responsibilities for the killing."
"The inquiry will also seek to identify ways by which States can strengthen fulfilment of their international commitments to protect the right to life, prevent violations and ensure accountability," Callamard wrote.
Callamard is also expected to meet with Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gul and chief prosecutor Irfan Fidan during her week-long visit to Turkey.
It comes almost four months after the journalist was allegedly strangled and dismembered in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Khashoggi, a critic of the Saudi family, had been living in exile in the US and was picking up paperwork ahead of his marriage.
Read more: A timeline of Jamal Khashoggi's murder
After news about the journalist's death first broke, Callamard penned a joint opinion piece calling for the UN Human Rights Council to authorize an investigation, saying it would "produce credible findings and provide the basis for clear punitive actions" as well as "avoid "politicization and diplomatic conflict."
A murder trial began earlier this month in Saudi Arabia, with state prosecutors announcing they would seek the death penalty for five of the 11 suspects.
nn/rt (dpa/AFP)