‘Credible evidence’ Saudi crown prince liable for Khashoggi killing – UN report

The crown prince of Saudi Arabia should be investigated over the
murder of the dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi because there is
“credible evidence” that he and other senior officials are liable
for his killing, according to a damning and forensic UN report
published today.

In an excoriating 100-page analysis of what happened to
Khashoggi last October, Agnes Callamard, the UN’s special
rapporteur, said the death of the journalist was “an international
crime”.

“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,” she
said.

Using recordings of conversations from inside the Istanbul
consulate where Khashoggi was killed, her report pieces together
his last moments, and how he was confronted by a Saudi officials ,
one of whom said: “We are coming to get you.”

When Khashoggi refused to cooperate, a struggle can be heard,
including heavy panting. The special rapporteur’s report concludes:
“Assessments of the recordings by intelligence officers in Turkey
and other countries suggest that Mr Khashoggi could have been
injected with a sedative and then suffocated using a plastic
bag.”

The findings will heap pressure on Crown Prince Mohammed bin
Salman^[1] to explain what he
knew about the murder of Khashoggi. The kingdom has previously
described it as a rogue operation that the heir to the throne knew
nothing about.

That is not the view of the special rapporteur’s report. Its
main findings include:

• There is credible evidence, warranting further
investigation, of high-level Saudi officials’ individual liability,
including the crown prince’s.

• Khashoggi’s death was an extrajudicial killing. His
attempted kidnapping would constitute a violation under
international human rights law … and may constitute an act of
torture under the terms of the convention against torture.

• The investigations conducted by Saudi Arabia and Turkey
failed to meet international standards regarding the investigation
into unlawful deaths.

• The Saudi investigation into the murder was not conducted
in good faith, and might amount to obstructing justice.

• A demand that the trial of the 11 suspects in Saudi
Arabia be suspended amid concerns about secrecy over the
proceedings and lack of credibility.

• The killing of Khashoggi has highlighted the
vulnerabilities of dissidents living abroad and the risks they are
facing of covert actions by the authorities of their countries of
origin or non-state actors associated to them.

The report states: “Some eight months after the execution of Mr
Khashoggi, the determination and assignment of individual
responsibilities remain clouded in secrecy and lack of due
process.”

It adds: “To date the Saudi state has failed to offer public
recognition of its responsibility for the killing of Mr Khashoggi,
and it has failed to offer an apology to Mr Khashoggi’s family,
friends and colleagues for his death and for the manner in which he
was killed.

“The special rapporteur obtained information regarding a
financial package offered to the children of Mr Jamal Khashoggi but
it is questionable whether such package amounts to compensation
under international human rights law.”

Khashoggi, 59, was killed when he entered the Saudi consulate in
Istanbul on 2 October last year. One of the region’s most important
journalistic voices, he considered journalism within, about and for
the region to be vital, the special raporteur states.

The report describes how he went to the consulate by
appointment, to obtain papers he needed to pave the way for his
marriage to his fiancée, Hatice Cengiz.

Saudi Arabia had been trying to get him to return from the US,
where he worked as a journalist for the Washington Post, but he
feared for his safety.

The report relies on recordings of conversations within the
consulate in the days prior to his death, which show how a team of
Saudi officials flew from Riyadh to Istanbul to kill him.

In a recording from inside the consulate on October 1, one man
was recorded saying: “A commission is coming from Saudi Arabia
tomorrow. They have something to do in the consulate … Their work
inside will take two or three days.”

The report outlines conversations that took place shortly before
Khashoggi arrived at the Turkish consulate on the day he died.

One Saudi official asked whether it would “be possible to put
the trunk in a bag”. Another replied: “No. Too heavy. It is not a
problem. The body is heavy. First time I cut on the ground. If we
take plastic bags and cut it into pieces, it will be finished. We
will wrap each of them.”

Khashoggi entered the consulate at 1.15pm on 2 October, the
report says.

According to recordings, the conversation with him first focused
on whether he would come back to Saudi Arabia.

An official told him: “We will have to take you back. There is
an order from Interpol. Interpol requested you to be sent back. We
are coming to get you.”

He was asked about his phones and told to type a message, which
he refused to do, the special rapporteur says.

According to the recordings, Khashoggi said: “What should I say?
See you soon? I can’t say kidnapping. I will not write
anything.”

An official then said to him: “Type it, Mr Jamal. Hurry up. Help
us so that we can help you because at the end we will take you back
to Saudi Arabia and if you don’t help us you know what will happen
at the end; let this issue find a good end.”

At 1.33pm, Khashoggi could be heard saying: “There is a towel
here. Are you going to give me drugs?”

“We will anaesthetise you,” came a reply.

In the recordings, sounds of a struggle can be heard, the UN
report says.

The special rapporteur’s report adds: “Mr Khashoggi’s execution
is emblematic of a global pattern of targeted killing of, and
threats against, journalists and media workers that is regularly
denounced by states, UN agencies, special procedures, and by
numerous international and national human rights
organisations.”

Culled from guardian

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