Amnesty International says Saudi Arabia should “immediately produce” the body of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi so that independence forensic experts can conduct an autopsy in line with international standards.
The human rights group issued the appeal on Saturday after Saudi Arabia said the columnist for The Washington Post was killed in a “fistfight” in the kingdom’s Istanbul consulate, in a reversal from previous Saudi assertions that it knew nothing about Khashoggi’s fate. The writer vanished after entering the consulate on Oct. 2.
Samah Hadid, Middle East director of campaigns for Amnesty International, says in a statement that the Saudi version of events can’t be trusted and that whoever is responsible, regardless of their rank or status, should be brought to justice.
Hadid says an independent investigation ordered by U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres would be necessary to avoid a “Saudi whitewash” of circumstances surrounding the killing or any attempts by other governments to “sweep the issue under the carpet to preserve lucrative arms deals and other business ties with Riyadh.”
Turkey is conducting its own investigation of the killing and has promised to publicize its results once the probe is complete.
