A leading United Nations official stepped up the pressure on Saudi Arabia today by branding the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi an “extrajudicial execution”.
Agnes Callamard, the UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, said those who orchestrated the killing at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul were “high enough to represent the state”.
It is the UN’s first intervention on the matter. This week Donald Trump suggested Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman could be responsible for ordering the death of Mr Khashoggi, a critic of the kingdom’s de-facto ruler.
Speaking at the UN headquarters in New York, Ms Callamard said: “First, we know that the killing was in the consulate, which is representative of the state of Saudi Arabia.
"Second, the individuals present at the time of the disappearance and the alleged killing were representatives of the state.
“Subsequently, over the last few days at least, Saudi authorities have recognised individuals at the highest levels of the structures of authority of being involved in the disappearance and the killing.”
She added: “All of these elements indicate that the ... killing of Jamal Khashoggi bear[s] the hallmark of an extrajudicial execution.”
Faisal Fahad, a Saudi representative at the UN, said in response: “My delegation would like to denounce the statement by the special rapporteur. We call on her not to exceed her mandate.”
The kingdom initially denied any knowledge of Mr Khashoggi’s disappearance on October 2. Yesterday a Saudi prosecutor admitted the killing was “premeditated”.
