It is nearly been a month since journalist Jamal Khashoggi disappeared from the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Saudi officials now admit that he was killed inside the embassy by a team of agents sent from Riyadh, but so far his body has not been recovered. But Khashoggi’s death inside the kingdom’s Istanbul consulate has brought near unprecedented international scrutiny on Saudi Arabia, which is seeking to draw a line under the crisis as Western powers demand answers.
Since admitting the murder was premeditated, Saudi leadership has blamed a “rogue operation” for the killing of Khashoggi, who was once an insider in Saudi royal circles and had lived in self-imposed exile in the United States since 2017. Beyond the detention of the 18 suspects, five Saudi intelligence chiefs have been sacked, including two who were part of the crown prince’s inner circle.
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Who was Jamal Khashoggi?
As a prominent journalist, he covered major stories including the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the rise of Osama Bin Laden for various Saudi news organisations. For decades, he was close to the Saudi royal family and also served as an advisor to the government. He has lived in the United States since last year to avoid possible arrest, and has written a series of columns for the Post on Saudi affairs. From there, he wrote a monthly column in the Washington Post in which he criticised the policies of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The visit to Saudi consulate in Istanbul
He first visited the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on September 28 to obtain a document certifying that he had divorced his ex-wife, so that he could marry his Turkish fiancée. But he was told he would have to return and arranged to come back on October 2.
The disappearance from Saudi Consulate
Saudi Arabia on Saturday (Oct 20) admitted for the first time that columnist Jamal Khashoggi, an outspoken critic of the Saudi government, was killed in its consulate in Turkey on October 2. Security camera footage showed Mr Khashoggi entering the consulate shortly after 1 pm that day. His fiancée Hatice Cengiz was waiting outside and she said that he never emerged. The Turkish authorities have released video footage of him walking into the consulate, but they said there was none of him walking out.
The murder mystery
In the initial stages, Jamal Khashoggi last week was declared dead, accidentally, inside the Saudi consulate in Turkey at the hands of Saudi government during an altercation on October 2. Earlier, the agency and government was hesitant about accepting the death of Khashoggi. Saudi says Khashoggi was killed in a “rogue operation” that the leadership had not been aware of.
But in the early hours of October 20, media reports suggested that the journalist had in fact died in the consulate after a fight. Saudi Arabia finally said that Khashoggi had been murdered in a “rogue operation” and vowed to punish “those responsible”. A Saudi official told Reuters news agency that Khashoggi had died in a chokehold after resisting attempts to return him to Saudi Arabia. His body was then rolled in a rug and given to a local “co-operator” to be disposed of. A Saudi operative then reportedly donned his clothes and left the premises.
On October 31, Turkey’s chief prosecutor made the details of the murder public for the first time. In this, he said journalist Jamal Khashoggi was strangled as soon as he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul and his body was dismembered and destroyed as part of a premeditated plan.
What have Khashoggi’s family said?
Khashoggi is survived by his ex-wife, two sons, two daughters and fiancée Hatice Cengiz. A statement from Khashoggi’s children has called on the United Nations to launch an independent inquiry into their father’s death and implored the Turkish and Saudi authorities to locate his remains so his funeral can be held.
United Nations comes down heavily on Saudi government
The United Nations human rights chief pressed for an impartial investigation into the “shockingly brazen” murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi and asked the Saudi authorities to reveal the whereabouts of his body without further delay or prevarication.
US reacts to the killing
While Trump has called the case “one of the worst cover-ups in history”, he warned against halting a Saudi arms deal, saying it would harm US jobs. However, relations between the United States and Saudi Arabia, long-time allies, have cooled. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the murder “violates the norms of international law. That much is very, very clear”.
(Inputs from Agencies)