Maja Kocijancic
The European Union on Friday called for justice in the murder case of the Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
“For all those responsible for this killing, due process will of course be an important element to ensure justice in this case which is something that family, friends, and the international community have been asking for weeks now,” the European Commission spokeswoman Maja Kocijancic said.
When asked if the EU plans to take a similar step as the U.S. decided to sanction 17 people tied to the murder of Khashoggi, Kocijancic said that the bloc has "been very vocal on the Khashoggi case from the very beginning.”
A funeral prayer for slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi was held at Istanbul's Fatih Mosque and Ankara's Kocatepe Mosque in Turkey after Friday prayer.The Istanbul ceremony was widely attended by activists and political figures calling for unity and justice for the journalist.Yasin Aktay, an adviser to the Turkish president and close friend of Khashoggi, delivered a speech."We will continue to search for the truth. We do not seek revenge in our search but only justice. There is no chance to have a court proceeding that is independent from the crown prince in Saudi Arabia," Aktay said."What we heard yesterday from the Saudi public prosecutor is not the justice we were expecting or waiting for, but represents injustice itself," said Ayman Nour, a liberal Egyptian politician.Video: Absentee funeral prayer for Khashoggi in IstanbulTens of thousands of worshippers at Mecca's Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque in Medina, Khashoggi's hometown, joined in prayers for the deceased, though the imams did not name him.Salah, Khashoggi's son was among those who attended the funeral prayer in absentia (salat al-ghaeb) held in Medina.Members of the Khashoggi family, meanwhile, will accept condolences at their Jeddah residence until Sunday.Khashoggi’s body, meanwhile, remains unaccounted for amid reports that it was disposed of by his killers.Galeri: Funeral for Khashoggi held at iconic Istanbul mosque"He was killed very unjustly"At least 600 people performed a funeral prayer in absentia for Khashoggi at Jakarta's Abu Bakar Ash Shiddiq Mosque on Friday.Sheikh Yusuf Abdul Ghani, a Saudi imam who was on a visit to Indonesia as part of a humanitarian relief organization, led the prayer."We will perform funeral prayer for the martyred Jamal Khashoggi. He was killed very unjustly," said Abdul Ghani."We pray for him to get ease, for Allah to forgive his sins and make those who killed him pay the price," he added.US sanctions 17 individuals tied to Khashoggi murderKhashoggi, a frequent contributor to The Washington Post, was killed Oct. 2 inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.After weeks of denying any involvement in the crime, Saudi Arabia later admitted that Khashoggi had been killed inside the consulate but claimed the Saudi royal family had no prior knowledge of any plot to murder the journalist.On Thursday, Saudi Arabia’s chief prosecutor’s office announced it had charged 11 out of 21 suspects in relation to the murder, seeking the death penalty for five of the suspects.US senators seek clampdown on Saudis over Yemen, Khashoggi murderDutch FM to defend arms embargo to Saudi Arabia at UNSCWashington Post slams Riyadh's new Khashoggi account
Funeral prayer held for Khashoggi in Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia
“Together with the international partners we will also continue to stress the fact that the measures need to be put in place in order to ensure that such crimes do not happen again,” she added.
On Thursday, the U.S. imposed sanctions on 17 people, including the Saudi Consul General in Istanbul Mohammad al-Otaibi.
Khashoggi was killed at the Saudi diplomatic facility shortly after he entered the consulate Oct. 2.
Turkey has ruled out any deal with the United States to scale down its investigation into the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi if the U.S. expels Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETÖ) leader Fetullah GülenNBC News reported on Thursday that the Trump administration was exploring ways to remove cleric Fethullah Gülen and persuade President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to ease pressure on Saudi Arabia over the killing. The White House said the story was "not accurate".A senior Turkish official said the issues of Gülen's extradition, which Turkey has long sought, and the investigation into who was behind Khashoggi's killing at Saudi Arabia's Istanbul consulate last month, were separate issues."At no point did Turkey offer to hold back on the Khashoggi investigation in return for Fethullah Gülen's extradition," the official said. "We have no intention to intervene in the Khashoggi investigation in return for any political or legal favour."Trump administration seeks ways to kick FETÖ leader Gülen out of USErdoğan has said the order for Khashoggi's killing came from the highest levels of the Saudi leadership. Washington on Thursday announced sanctions over the killings, targeting 17 Saudi officials but not the Riyadh government - an important U.S. security and economic ally.Erdoğan has long demanded that Washington extradite Gülen, orchestrated Turkey's July 15 coup attempt and is the mastermind behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary.Since the failed coup, operations have been ongoing in the military, police and judiciary as well as in state institutions across the country to arrest suspects with alleged links to FETÖ.U.S. officials have said the courts need sufficient evidence to extradite the cleric.FETÖ-linked daily’s ex-columnist gets prison sentenceGermany not meeting Turkey's demands on FETÖ: FM
Turkey says will not link fate of FETÖ leader Gülen to Khashoggi
Saudi Arabia had offered shifting explanations for Khashoggi's disappearance before suggesting he was killed during a botched rendition operation by rogue agents.
Kocijancic said that the EU has asked Saudi authorities to have a “credible and transparent investigation.”
Despite the first indictments in Saudi probe, many questions remain unanswered in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Germany’s Foreign Ministry said on Friday.Speaking at a news conference in Berlin, Christofer Burger, deputy spokesman for Foreign Ministry, said Germany was still waiting for a full disclosure and accountability from Saudi Arabia.“There has been some developments yesterday. That was a first step. However, many questions remain open, as it has been before,” he said.The Saudi public prosecutor's office announced on Thursday that 11 suspects had been indicted for murdering Khashoggi inside Saudi Arabia’s Istanbul Consulate. It called for death penalty against five suspects.The prosecutors absolved Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of any blame for the murder.Burger underlined that Germany expected a full and transparent investigation in line with the international standards.“The murder of Khashoggi must be completely and thoroughly investigated. We expect that those responsible for the killing would be held accountable,” he added.Khashoggi, a Saudi national and columnist for The Washington Post, was killed on Oct. 2 inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.After weeks of denying involvement, the kingdom admitted that Khashoggi had been killed at the consulate but claimed that the Saudi royal family had no prior knowledge of a plot to murder him.So far, 21 people, including security officers, have been arrested in Saudi Arabia in connection with the murder.
Germany says many questions in Khashoggi case remain open
The U.S. on Thursday sanctioned 17 people tied to the murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, including the Saudi Consul General in Istanbul Mohammad al-Otaibi.Khashoggi was killed at the Saudi diplomatic facility shortly after he entered the consulate Oct. 2.Saudi Arabia had offered shifting explanations for Khashoggi's disappearance before suggesting he was killed during a botched rendition operation by rogue agents.In addition to al-Otaibi, the U.S. imposed economic penalties on Saud al-Qahtani, who the Treasury Department called a senior Saudi official involved in planning the operation, his subordinate, Maher Mutreb, and 14 other individuals who Washington says were part of an "operations team" tasked with killing Khashoggi.All of the 17 men, Treasury said, were involved in the "abhorrent killing of Jamal Khashoggi.""These individuals who targeted and brutally killed a journalist who resided and worked in the United States must face consequences for their actions," Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement.Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman was not among the blacklisted individuals, despite widespread speculation that the de facto ruler of the Kingdom ordered the hit on Khashoggi. But indicating that the actions taken Thursday are not Washington's final steps on the case, Mnuchin said the U.S. is continuing "to diligently work to ascertain all of the facts and will hold accountable each of those we find responsible in order to achieve justice for Khashoggi’s fiancée, children, and the family he leaves behind."The sentiment was echoed by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo who said the actions are "an important step in responding to Khashoggi’s killing.""The State Department will continue to seek all relevant facts, consult Congress, and work with other nations to hold accountable those involved in the killing of Jamal Khashoggi," he said in a statement.U.S. persons are generally prohibited from conducting business with the designated individuals and any property they have under U.S. jurisdiction has been frozen.Saudi Arabia earlier Thursday announced it had charged 11 out of 21 suspects in relation to the Khashoggi's murder.
US sanctions 17 individuals tied to Khashoggi murder