UNESCO chief condemns killing of Khashoggi

We want justice for Jamal Khashoggi, says head of Turkish-Arab Media Association

Turan Kışlakçı, head of the Turkish-Arab Media Association (TAM), called for justice following Saudi Arabia’s admission that journalist Jamal Khashoggi died in a fight inside its Istanbul consulate“It’s not over yet. We invite the whole world to take action. We want justice for Jamal Khashoggi. We want Khashoggi’s murderers punished, and not just the 15 men responsible but also those who gave the order,” Kışlakçı said.“I am calling out to Saudi Arabia’s King Salman and Saudi’s people of reason using the 135th ayah of Surah Nisa: ‘O you who have believed, be persistently standing firm in justice, witnesses for Allah, even if it be against yourselves or parents and relatives. Whether one is rich or poor, Allah is more worthy of both. So follow not [personal] inclination, lest you not be just. And if you distort [your testimony] or refuse [to give it], then indeed Allah is ever, with what you do, Acquainted’,” he added.Amnesty urges UN investigation, independent autopsy in Khashoggi deathKhashoggi, a Saudi journalist and columnist for The Washington Post, had gone missing since entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.After days of denying to know his whereabouts, Saudi Arabia on Saturday claimed Khashoggi died during a fight inside the consulate.“I would like to thank those who have shown sensitivity and reevaluated their economic ties, and the government officials, businessmen and politicians who cancelled their participation in the Riyadh Economic Forum, but we owe the greatest thanks to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who oversaw the situation with devotion and diplomacy,” Kışlakçı said.Many key speakers and partners pulled out from a major investment conference Saudi Arabia planned for later this month following the disappearance of Khashoggi.Bahrain praises Saudi king's decisions: Al Arabiya TVInvestigators likely to discover what happened to Khashoggi body 'before long'Turkey vows to reveal details of Khashoggi's killingEgypt commends 'decisive' and 'brave' actions by Saudi King over Khashoggi caseEuropean Parliament urges investigation on KhashoggiBritain considering 'next steps' after Saudi Arabia admits journalist's deathUAE voices support for Saudi king statement on journalist's death

Amnesty urges UN investigation, independent autopsy in Khashoggi death

Amnesty International said on Saturday that Saudi Arabia's explanation of journalist Jamal Khashoggi's death in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul appeared to be a whitewash of "an appalling assassination"."The investigation findings by the Saudi authorities claiming that Khashoggi died as a result of a 'fist-fight' inside the consulate are not trustworthy and marks an abysmal new low to Saudi Arabia's human rights record," Samah Hadid, the human rights group's Middle East director, said in a statement.It called on Saudi authorities to produce Khashoggi's body so that independent forensic experts could perform an autopsy. It also said the United Nations should investigate his death.As Khashoggi crisis grows, Saudi king asserts authority, checks son's powerUK academic calls for Saudi sanctions in Khashoggi caseIndonesian journalists urge clarity on Khashoggi case"An independent investigation will be the only guarantee against what increasingly appears as a Saudi whitewash surrounding the circumstances of Khashoggi's murder or any attempts by other governments to sweep the issue under the carpet to preserve lucrative arms deals and other business ties with Riyadh," Hadid said.Saudi Arabia's claim that Khashoggi had died in a fight -- rather than was deliberately killed - was Riyadh's first acknowledgement of his death after two weeks of denials that it was involved in his disappearance."This appalling assassination within the grounds of the Consulate amounts to an extrajudicial execution," Amnesty said.Saudi consulate employees in Istanbul give testimony at prosecutor's officeTurkish probe locates exact site of Khashoggi killing: Al JazeeraLost Saudi journo had urged Arab youth to fight tyranny

Bahrain praises Saudi king's decisions: Al Arabiya TV

Bahrain, in an apparent reference to the case of slain Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, on Saturday praised decisions made by the Saudi king to establish justice, Saudi-owned Al Arabiya TV reported."Saudi Arabia will remain a state of justice, values and principles," an official statement quote by the channel said. .Saudi Arabia said on Saturday that Khashoggi, a prominent journalist and critic of Saudi rulers, died in a fight inside its Istanbul consulate - after two weeks of denials that it had anything to do with his disappearance.Saudi consulate employees in Istanbul give testimony at prosecutor's officeTurkish probe locates exact site of Khashoggi killing: Al JazeeraLost Saudi journo had urged Arab youth to fight tyrannyAs Khashoggi crisis grows, Saudi king asserts authority, checks son's power

Saudi consulate employees in Istanbul give testimony at prosecutor's office

Employees working at the Saudi Arabian Consulate in Istanbul are giving testimony at the Turkish prosecutor’s office regarding the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi on Friday, according to reports.Fifteen Turkish employees of the consulate came to Istanbul's Caglayan courthouse to testify, said the source, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.The staffers include drivers, accountants, and telephone operators.Turkish probe locates exact site of Khashoggi killing: Al JazeeraKhashoggi, a prominent Saudi journalist and intellectual, has remained unaccounted for since Oct. 2, when he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.On the same day of Khashoggi's disappearance, 15 other Saudis, including several officials, arrived in Istanbul on two planes and visited the consulate while Khashoggi was still inside, according to Turkish police sources. All of the identified individuals have since left Turkey.Ever since he went missing, speculation has mounted that he was killed by the Saudi authorities, who have yet to provide a convincing explanation for his disappearance.Meanwhile, several countries -- including Turkey, the U.S. and the U.K. -- have continued to press Riyadh for clarification.Turkish and Saudi officials this week started conducting joint inspections at the consulate and consul general's residence as part of the investigation.Lost Saudi journo had urged Arab youth to fight tyrannyAs Khashoggi crisis grows, Saudi king asserts authority, checks son's power

Turkish probe locates exact site of Khashoggi killing: Al Jazeera

Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed within 15 minutes and his dismembered body parts were packaged, Al Jazeera claimed on Friday."Turkish investigators were able to locate the exact place within the Saudi consulate where Khashoggi was allegedly killed during their search of the building earlier this week," Turkish sources told Al Jazeera.Recordings confirm that Khashoggi was attacked by several people after entering the consulate in Istanbul."The investigators, who used audio recordings of Khashoggi’s alleged murder to guide their search, also confirmed that Salah Muhammad al-Tubaigy, an autopsy expert, began cutting up the 60-year-old's body immediately after he was killed."Lost Saudi journo had urged Arab youth to fight tyrannyA prominent Saudi journalist and intellectual, Khashoggi has remained unaccounted for since Oct. 2, when he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.On the same day of Khashoggi's disappearance, 15 other Saudis, including several officials, arrived in Istanbul on two planes and visited the consulate while Khashoggi was still inside, according to Turkish police sources. All of the identified individuals have since left Turkey.Ever since he went missing, speculation has mounted that he was killed by the Saudi authorities, who have yet to provide a convincing explanation for his disappearance.Meanwhile, several countries -- including Turkey, the U.S. and the U.K. -- have continued to press Riyadh for clarification.As Khashoggi crisis grows, Saudi king asserts authority, checks son's powerUK academic calls for Saudi sanctions in Khashoggi caseTurkey has not shared audio recordings with anyone, FM says

Lost Saudi journo had urged Arab youth to fight tyranny

Before his abrupt disappearance early this month, Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi had called on Arab youth to avoid the prisons of their respective "dictators" while pursuing the ongoing Arab struggle for freedom.In an essay written in June for the independent Raseef website, Khashoggi cited a number of personal acquaintances now serving jail for political reasons."Being an intellectual isn’t a crime,” he wrote. “The holder of an idea isn’t a criminal, so he’s always unprepared for incarceration.”Khashoggi went on to tell of a friend of a friend, who, he said, had “ended up in prison last September [and who was] broken by months in solitary confinement”.Late last year, the Saudi authorities detained dozens of high-profile people -- including princes and cabinet ministers (both former and current) -- in a massive "anti-corruption" sweep.Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal and Prince Miteb bin Abdullah, minister for the Saudi National Guard, were both among those rounded up.Only two months earlier, the Saudi authorities had cracked down on intellectuals and Muslim scholars, including well-known figures such as Salman al-Awda, Waleed Ftaihi, Safar al-Hawali and Ali al-Omari.Saudi Scholars Association calls for Crown Prince Salman to be dethronedUK trade minister Fox has pulled out of Saudi investment summit“Prison has become a tool of governance,” Kashoggi wrote. “It’s no longer a place for criminals; it has become a weapon in the hands of the [dictatorial] state leader, his party, his army and his ruling class.”He went on to urge Arab youth to find “a viable means for opposing your [respective] regime that does not lead to prison and confrontation”.“I know this is easier said than done,” he said. “Prison in our world isn’t always punitive; rather, it’s part of political negotiations, lobbying and public control.”He continued: “Any political party that issues decisions that lead its young cadres to prison is irresponsible... As I always say to the youth in my country: don’t listen to them; avoid prison as much as possible.”In the same article, Khashoggi calls on the U.S. -- as the global hegemon -- to shoulder its responsibility to confront systematic rights abuses by dictatorial regimes.German opposition demands end to Saudi arms salesUS-Saudi relations in light of Khashoggi case“The U.S. State Department issues a report on human rights every year… information contained in these reports is no less accurate than what is reported by independent rights organizations," he asserted.“But the U.S. is no longer doing anything,” he added. “Only a few sanctions -- if any -- existed. [The U.S.] places maximum sanctions on Iran while forgetting about Egypt and Zimbabwe.”Both Egypt and Zimbabwe face frequent criticism from international rights groups, which accuse both countries of committing systematic rights abuses.The Egyptian regime has killed hundreds -- and jailed thousands (some say tens of thousands) -- since its 2013 military coup against the country’s first freely elected president.And before his ouster last year, Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe had been accused of committing widespread abuses against members of the country’s political opposition. A prominent Saudi journalist and intellectual, Khashoggi has remained unaccounted for since Oct. 2, when he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.Ever since he went missing, speculation has mounted that he was killed by the Saudi authorities, who have yet to provide a convincing explanation for his disappearance.Meanwhile, several countries -- including Turkey, the U.S. and the U.K. -- have continued to press Riyadh for clarification.

UNESCO director general Audrey Azoulay