UN says Jamal Khashoggi murder was likely an 'extrajudicial killing' committed by the Saudi state
- The United Nations on Thursday said journalist Jamal Khashoggi's murder "bears all the hallmarks of an extrajudicial execution" committed by the Saudi state.
- Agnes Callamard, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions, said that those who masterminded Khashoggi's killing are "are high enough to represent the state."
- Still, she says it remains to be seen whether or not they acted in the name of the state.
- Her declaration follows a statement by the Saudi Attorney General on Thursday which said preliminary investigations reveal that Khashoggi's murder was "premeditated."
The United Nations on Thursday said journalist Jamal Khashoggi's murder "bears all the hallmarks of an extrajudicial execution" committed by the Saudi state.
Speaking at a press conference, Agnes Callamard, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions, said that those who masterminded Khashoggi's killing are "are high enough to represent the state."
"The people who orchestrated [the killing] are high enough to represent the state and there has been no information so far that they acted in a completely rogue fashion," she said.
"Whether or not they acted in the name of the state, that remains to be discussed and investigated," she added.
Callamard reiterated calls for an international probe into the events that took place on October 2, when Khashoggi was last seen entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to gather documents for his upcoming wedding. She called on Saudi Arabia to give a UN-designated team access to the information they have procured in their own investigation.
Callamard is well-known for her investigation into extrajudicial killings committed in the Philippines as part of President Rodrigo Duterte's war on drugs.
Her declaration follows a statement by the Saudi Attorney General on Thursday, which said preliminary investigations reveal Khashoggi's murder was a "premeditated" act.
Saudi Arabia has previously suggested that Khashoggi's killing was carried out by "rogue killers," though many have expressed skepticism that the murder of a high-profile dissident in a foreign country could have been carried out without direction by Saudi leadership. Saudi Arabia has distanced its Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman from the murder, and has fired five top officials and detained 18 Saudis during the ongoing investigation.
The Crown Prince on Wednesday called the Washington Post columnist's murder a "heinous crime that cannot be justified." He has repeatedly denied having advance knowledge of the plot.
President Donald Trump on Tuesday described Khashoggi's killing at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul as one of the worst cover-ups in history. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the US had identified several individuals it says are responsible, and was already working to revoke visas and is considering imposing sanctions.