UN names members of international inquiry on Khashoggi murder

Published January 26, 2019
Panel will seek to establish "nature and extent" of countries and individuals involved in killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. — File photo
Panel will seek to establish "nature and extent" of countries and individuals involved in killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. — File photo

GENEVA: The United Nations’ human rights office said on Friday a three-member team of international experts would conduct an inquiry into the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, confirming an earlier report by this news agency.

Agnes Callamard, UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, said on Thursday she would travel to Turkey next week to head an “independent international inquiry” into Khashoggi’s murder at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct 2.

The UN rights office said in a statement that the independent panel would seek to establish “the nature and extent of States and individuals responsibilities for the killing”.

The other two panel members are British barrister Helena Kennedy and Duarte Nuno Vieira, a pathology expert and professor at the department of legal and forensic medicine and ethics and medical law at Coimbra University, Portugal.

The trio will visit Turkey from Jan 28-Feb 3 and plan to report to the UN Human Rights Council in June, it said.

US intelligence agencies believe Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered an operation to kill Khashoggi, a critic and Washington Post columnist, and say his body was dismembered and removed to a location still publicly unknown. Riyadh denies the crown prince had any involvement in the murder.

A Saudi public prosecutor’s spokesman said last year that 21 Saudis had been taken into custody over the case, 11 of whom had been indicted and referred to trial. The prosecutor said this month it was seeking the death penalty for five of the 11 indicted suspects.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday that it was time for an international investigation to be launched into the murder of Khashoggi.

There was no word on whether the panel would seek access to Saudi Arabia or whether the kingdom would cooperate. The Saudi diplomatic mission in Geneva did not respond to inquiries.

Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch, said in a tweet on Thursday: “Her (Call­amard’s) probe should lay the groundwork for a much-needed, large-scale UN investigation capable of reviewing all intelligence.”

Published in Dawn, January 26th, 2019

Opinion

Editorial

Judiciary’s SOS
Updated 28 Mar, 2024

Judiciary’s SOS

The ball is now in CJP Isa’s court, and he will feel pressure to take action.
Data protection
28 Mar, 2024

Data protection

WHAT do we want? Data protection laws. When do we want them? Immediately. Without delay, if we are to prevent ...
Selling humans
28 Mar, 2024

Selling humans

HUMAN traders feed off economic distress; they peddle promises of a better life to the impoverished who, mired in...
New terror wave
Updated 27 Mar, 2024

New terror wave

The time has come for decisive government action against militancy.
Development costs
27 Mar, 2024

Development costs

A HEFTY escalation of 30pc in the cost of ongoing federal development schemes is one of the many decisions where the...
Aitchison controversy
Updated 27 Mar, 2024

Aitchison controversy

It is hoped that higher authorities realise that politics and nepotism have no place in schools.