Credible proof linking Mohammed bin Salman to Khashoggi killing, says UN expert

There is credible evidence that Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and other high-level officials are individually liable for the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a UN special rapporteur said in a report on Wednesday.

A report by UN extrajudicial executions investigator Agnes Callamard said the evidence merits further investigation by an independent and impartial international inquiry, the BBC reported.

Saudi journalist and columnist for the Washington Post Jamal Khashoggi was killed inside the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul in October 2018.

The murder caused international outrage and provoked condemnation of the 33-year-old Crown Prince, also known as "MBS". Saudi authorities, however, insist they were not acting on the Crown Prince's orders.

UN expert calls for 'targeted sanctions' against Saudi crown prince

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's "personal assets" should be targeted with sanctions until there is proof he was not responsible for the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a UN expert said Wednesday.

"In view of the credible evidence into the responsibilities of the Crown Prince for (Khashoggi's) murder, such sanctions ought also to include the Crown Prince and his personal assets abroad, until and unless evidence is provided and corroborated that he carries no responsibilities for this execution," the UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions Agnes Callamard said in a report.

UN chief should launch international probe over Khashoggi murder: rights expert

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres should launch an international criminal investigation into the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi last October, an independent rights expert said on Wednesday.

In a fresh report on the killing, UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions Agnes Callamard urged Guterres to "initiate a follow-up criminal investigation into the killing of Mr. Khashoggi to build-up strong files on each of the alleged perpetrators and identify mechanisms for formal accountability, such as an ad hoc or hybrid tribunal."

with IANS and PTI inputs