Michelle Bachelet
U.N. human rights chief Michelle Bachelet called on Saudi Arabia and Turkey on Tuesday to reveal everything they know about the disappearance and possible murder of missing journalist Jamal Khashoggi and said Riyadh should waive immunity on its diplomatic premises and officials.
Overnight, Turkish crime scene investigators entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, the last place Khashoggi was seen before vanishing on Oct. 2, for the first time and searched the premises for over nine hours, Reuters witnesses said.
In a statement, Bachelet welcomed the investigators being given access to the consulate, despite a two-week delay, and called on authorities of both countries to ensure that "no further obstacles are placed in the way of a prompt, thorough, effective, impartial and transparent investigation.”
She urged both countries to reveal everything they know about Khashoggi's "disappearance and possible extra-judicial killing."
Turkish investigators who searched the Saudi consulate in Istanbul as part of the probe into the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi took evidence including soil samples, a senior Turkish official said on Tuesday."The Turkish crime scene investigators carried out searches in the consulate and took the things deemed necessary," the official told reporters after a Turkish team carried out a nine-hour search of the premises.Khashoggi’s family calls for international inquiryTurkish police have audio showing Khashoggi was killed at consulate
Turkish investigators took necessary evidence from Saudi consulate
"Given there seems to be clear evidence that Mr Khashoggi entered the Consulate and has never been seen since, the onus is on the Saudi authorities to reveal what happened to him from that point onwards," she said.
Khashoggi, a U.S. resident, Washington Post columnist and leading critic of Prince Mohammed, vanished after entering the consulate to get marriage documents.
Turkish officials say they believe he was murdered there and his body removed. CNN and the New York Times reported Saudi Arabia was preparing to acknowledge Khashoggi's death in a botched interrogation, after denying for two weeks any role in his disappearance.
The family of missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi on Tuesday called for an international investigation into the circumstances of his disappearance."We are sadly and anxiously following the conflicting news regarding the fate of our father after losing contact with him two weeks ago, when he disappeared after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul," the family said in the a statement."Our family is traumatized, and yearns to be together during this painful time."“The strong moral and legal responsibility which our father instilled in us obliges us to call for the establishment of an independent and impartial international commission to inquire into the circumstances of his death,” his family said.Khashoggi has long been feared killed at the consulate after he entered on Oct. 2 and was never seen exiting.U.S. President Donald Trump raised the possibility that "rogue killers" could have been responsible for Khashoggi's disappearance after speaking over the telephone with Saudi King Salman for 20 minutes on Monday.Trump said Salman "firmly denies" any knowledge of Khashoggi's disappearance.On Monday, Turkish and Saudi officials arrived at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul for a joint probe into Khashoggi's case.On the same day Khashoggi arrived at the consulate, 15 other Saudis, including several officials, arrived in Istanbul on two planes and visited the building while journalist was also inside, police sources said. All of the identified individuals have since left Turkey.Saudi authorities have yet to give a clear explanation of Khashoggi’s fate, while several countries -- particularly Turkey, the U.S., and the U.K -- are pressing the case to be cleared up as soon as possible.US Secretary of state arrives in Riyadh to discuss Khashoggi caseSaudi riyal rebounds on report Riyadh to acknowledge Khashoggi deathPompeo to visit Turkey after Riyadh over KhashoggiSaudi Arabia to admit Khashoggi was killed: report
Khashoggi’s family calls for international inquiry
It was important to immediately lift immunity for any premises and officials bestowed by the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, she added.
"Under international law, both a forced disappearance and an extra-judicial killing are very serious crimes, and immunity should not be used to impede investigations into what happened and who is responsible," Bachelet said.
Her spokesman Rupert Colville said: "We hope the lifting of immunity is absolute so they can investigate, in the consulate, the (consular) residence premise, the vehicles shown on TV footage."
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday arrived in Saudi capital Riyadh for talks on the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.Pompeo “was greeted by Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir, [Saudi] Ambassador to the U.S. Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Director of Protocol Ambassador Azzam al-Qain,” the Saudi Foreign Ministry said on Twitter.Following his scheduled meeting with Saudi King Salman, Pompeo will visit Turkey on Wednesday to meet with his Turkish counterpart Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu.Video: Trump sends Pompeo to Riyadh over KhashoggiOn Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump said that Pompeo was being dispatched to meet the Saudi king to discuss the disappearance of Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist and columnist for the Washington Post newspaper.Khashoggi has long been feared killed at the consulate after he entered on Oct. 2 and was never seen exiting.Trump raised the possibility that "rogue killers" could have been responsible for Khashoggi's disappearance after speaking over the telephone with Saudi King Salman for 20 minutes on Monday. US Secretary of State to have dinner with Saudi crown princeTrump said Salman "firmly denies" any knowledge of Khashoggi's disappearance.Earlier on Monday, Turkish and Saudi officials arrived at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul after the start of a joint probe into the missing journalist.Saudi authorities have yet to give a clear explanation of what happened to Khashoggi, while several countries -- particularly Turkey, the U.S., and the U.K. -- are pressing for the mystery to be cleared up as soon as possible.Saudi riyal rebounds on report Riyadh to acknowledge Khashoggi deathSaudi embassy cancels National Day celebration in USPompeo to visit Turkey after Riyadh over Khashoggi
US Secretary of state arrives in Riyadh to discuss Khashoggi case