Geneva - Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and other
senior Saudi officials should be investigated over the killing of
dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a UN rights expert has
concluded on Wednesday, citing "credible evidence."
Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and critic of the crown
prince, was allegedly murdered and dismembered by Saudi operatives in
the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in early October.
Agnes Callamard, the UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial killings,
said in her report that the case must be viewed in the context of
detentions and torture of other journalists and activists in recent
years.
"At a bare minimum, [the] Crown Prince condoned this behavior and
allowed the repetition and escalation of these crimes," Callamard
wrote about the royal who is seen as the de-facto ruler of his
country.
"The Crown Prince willingly took the risk that other crimes, such as
the killing of Mr Khashoggi, would be committed, whether or not he
directly ordered the specific crime," she added.
Khashoggi was afraid of the prince and his powerful status, she
wrote. Various Saudi emissaries tried to convince Khashoggi to return
home, but he feared what would happen to him if he did so.
Callamard said every expert she consulted for her report said that
Prince Mohammed must at least have been aware of the Khashoggi
operation, as it required significant government coordination and
resources.
She added that the crown prince revealed that he was closely
following the matter in a television interview that he gave shortly
after the killing, but before the crime was confirmed.
The destruction of evidence could also not have taken place without
his knowledge, she concluded.
The search for justice in this case is not primarily about "finding a
smoking gun and the person holding it," Callamard wrote.
An independent UN human rights expert investigating the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi is recommending an investigation into the possible role of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, citing "credible evidence." Picture: Hasan Jamali/AP
Rather, the search is about those who "have abused, or failed to
fulfil, the responsibilities of their positions of authority."
Callamard said that countries should claim universal jurisdiction in
this case, meaning that suspects could be prosecuted and tried
outside Turkey or Saudi Arabia.
In addition, she called on UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to
set up a "follow-up criminal investigation" of the perpetrators and
to come up with a mechanism for a tribunal.
Saudi Arabia has started court hearings against 11 defendants, five
of them facing the death penalty.
Callamard concluded that neither Saudi Arabia nor Turkey has followed
up the case in line with international standards so far.
A joint crime scene investigation by experts from both countries only
took place two weeks after the incident, and Turkish officials were
only allowed six hours to do their work.
No blood traces were found, pointing to two possibilities, according
to Callamard: Either the killing was planned and measures were taken
to prevent the spread of fluids; or the crime scene was scrubbed to
remove evidence.
Turkish authorities failed to search the residence of the Saudi
consul in Istanbul soon enough, and they did not interview this
official, Callamard criticized.
The UN rights investigator will present her report at a regular
UN Human Rights Council session that starts next week in Geneva.