Absentee funeral prayer for Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi
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.
People perform a funeral prayer in absentia for the slain Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at Fatih Mosque in Istanbul on November 16, 2018.
Absentee funeral prayer for Khashoggi in Istanbul
Tens 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.
People attend a funeral prayer for Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the courtyard of Fatih mosque in Istanbul, Turkey November 16, 2018.Funeral for Khashoggi held at iconic Istanbul mosque
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"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.
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
Khashoggi, 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.
Republican and Democratic U.S. senators introduced legislation on Thursday seeking to strike back at Saudi Arabia over the death of a Saudi journalist at a consulate in Turkey and for its role in Yemen's devastating civil war.If it were to become law, the bill would suspend weapon sales to Saudi Arabia and prohibit U.S. refueling of Saudi coalition aircraft for Riyadh's campaign in Yemen against the Houthis, Shi'ite Muslim fighters that Yemen's neighbors view as agents of Iran, the lawmakers said.Funeral prayer to be performed for KhashoggiWashington Post slams Riyadh's new Khashoggi account
US senators seek clampdown on Saudis over Yemen, Khashoggi murder
Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok said Thursday he will defend an arms embargo to Saudi Arabia at the UN Security Council.A majority of the House of Representatives has called on the government of the Netherlands to introduce resolutions of a "ceasefire in Yemen" and "arms embargo against Saudi Arabia".Noting that he will defend the arms embargo in the UN Security Council, Blok added that it would not go that far since the Netherlands has "a limited contribution in this matter."Blok said the Netherlands is a not big exporter of weapons, stressing that “countries such as France, the U.S. and the U.K., which are major arms exporters, do not want to apply the arms embargo."Washington Post slams Riyadh's new Khashoggi accountHe also said the Dutch government would like to take further steps on Yemen, but "big countries" are not willing to do so.Blok pointed out that he would like to stick to the "limited arms export system" implemented by the Netherlands toward Saudi Arabia."The situation in Yemen is horrific and dramatic," Blok said.He noted that he would rather like to defend in the UN Security Council the cease-fire and humanitarian aid in Yemen, adding that: "Those who cause it are committing a terrible crime."Impoverished Yemen has remained wracked by violence since 2014, when Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including the capital, Sanaa.The conflict escalated in 2015 when Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies launched a devastating air campaign in Yemen aimed at rolling back Houthi gains.
Dutch FM to defend arms embargo to Saudi Arabia at UNSC
The Washington Post called "shocking in its audacity" Saudi Arabia’s new narrative Thursday on the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.Previously, the Kingdom said Khashoggi was killed in a "premeditated" operation and later acknowledged he was killed after he entered the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul by a hit team sent to return him to Saudi Arabia.The Saudi chief prosecutor's office said 11 suspects had been indicted and the death penalty was being sought for five of them.The office distanced Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman from the murder as well as his two aides alleged to have ordered the operation.In a statement, Saudi Deputy Public Prosecutor Shalaan al-Shalaan said an operation was ordered either to persuade or force Khashoggi to return to Saudi Arabia.Ahmed al-Assiri, a former deputy head of intelligence, issued an order for Khashoggi’s return Sept. 29, a day after the journalist's first visit to the consulate building.It was al-Assiri who formed a 15-member team, according to the prosecutor. He contacted a forensics expert to join it for the purpose of removing evidence from the scene in the event force had to be used.Khashoggi murder a very big mistake: Saudi FM"After surveilling the consulate, the head of the team concluded that it would not be possible to transfer the victim by force ... so the head of the team decided on murder," said the prosecutor."By offering up this incredible account, the Saudi regime is baldly defying all those, including leading members of [the U.S.] Congress, who called for full disclosure and accountability," wrote the Post's editorial board.Washington imposed sanctions on 17 individuals in connection with the murder, but the board said neither the crown prince nor Riyadh's top intelligence officials were among them.The Post said the new Saudi account revealed the operation was ordered by then-deputy chief of intelligence Ahmed al-Assiri and advised by Saud al-Qahtani, a court propagandist, who it said is close to bin Salman.Erdoğan adviser says Saudi Arabia trying to cover up Khashoggi murderRiyad did not say the two aides were complicit in the decision to kill Khashoggi and were fooled by their team’s claim that the journalist left the consulate alive."That doesn’t explain a portion of the audio recording reported by the New York Times, in which Maher Mutreb, a close associate of the crown prince, instructs an official by phone to 'tell your boss' that the mission was accomplished," it wrote.U.S. intelligence officials believe the “boss” is "almost certainly Prince Mohammed."The newspaper also urged Congress not to allow "this travesty" to continue."It should suspend all military sales and cooperation with Saudi Arabia until a credible international investigation of the Khashoggi killing is completed," it said.The cover story, it added, is just one "more instance of Mohammed bin Salman’s arrogant and reckless behavior."The true murderers of Jamal Khashoggi must be named and punished," said the board.Khashoggi’s body dismembered inside Istanbul consulate: Saudi prosecutor
Washington Post slams Riyadh's new Khashoggi account