UN: Justice has not been ensured over Khashoggi's murder

The world has not done enough to ensure justice is done over the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a United Nations (UN) investigator said on Tuesday.

Agnes Callamard, UN’s rapporteur for extrajudicial executions, called for more action from the European Union (EU) and the United States (US) over Khashoggi’s murder by the Saudi operatives at Riyadh’s consulate in Turkey’s Istanbul in 2018.

“I think it is important to recognise that the international community so far has failed in its duty to ensure that there cannot be immunity or impunity for the killing of Jamal Khashoggi,” Callamard was quoted by Reuters as saying in the Belgium capital city of Brussels.

The UN official was reported to have been seeking an international criminal investigation instead of a Saudi trial, but Riyadh has rejected her request. In a previous report, Callamard was also said to have demanded an investigation into the Saudi Crown Prince, Mohammed Bin Salman, and other senior Saudi officials.

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Hatice Cengiz, Khashoggi’s fiancé, was accompanying Callamard on a trip to Brussels, which she said was intended “to remind people they were still seeking justice.”

On the first anniversary of Khashoggi’s death last October, the EU called for “full accountability for all those responsible,” adding that there must be a “credible and transparent investigation.” Also, the US called for Saudi Arabia to show “tangible progress toward holding those behind the killing to account.”

Khashoggi was a US resident and a critic of Bin Salman. His killing has led to global outrage. Eleven Saudi suspects have been put on trial over his death in secretive proceedings.

The US’ Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and some Western governments have said they believe Prince Mohammed ordered the killing, but Saudi officials say he had no role.