UN Rapporteur Says Ready To Share Findings About Khashoggi Murder With FBI

GENEVA (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th June, 2019) The UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Agnes Callamard, has told Sputnik in an interview that she is ready to share her findings about the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi with the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

On Wednesday, Callamard issued a report summarizing the results of a six-month investigation into Khashoggi's murder. The report concluded the journalist was the victim of an extrajudicial killing and the state of Saudi Arabia is responsible for it. The rapporteur also called on the FBI to open an investigation into the killing, including Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's role in it. The FBI has declined to comment on the recommendations.

"I will be ready to absolutely share my findings with the FBI. Whether or not I will share all my sources - I don't think so. Certainly, not without an approval from sources themselves. I suspect the FBI has access to already quite a lot of information," Callamard said.

According to rapporteur, Washington has so far failed to demonstrate sufficient commitment to probe the murder, even though Khashoggi was residing in the United States during the last years of his life.

"The reason why I asked for the FBI to do so is because as you know Mr Khashoggi was an American resident, he was working for The Washington Post. So in my opinion, the US has a stake in rendering justice and in finding the truth. And up to now they have not moved in that direction forcefully enough. So that is why I am recommending [launching a probe]," she added.

Khashoggi, a columnist for The Washington Post, went missing last October after he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Riyadh initially denied any knowledge of the journalist's whereabouts but eventually admitted that Khashoggi was killed and dismembered inside the embassy.

Saudi authorities have charged several people with Khashoggi's murder but have repeatedly denied any involvement of the royal family. In the United States, President Donald Trump has accepted Saudi Arabia's claim that the crown prince was not aware of what Riyadh has called a rogue operation.