Istanbul, June 20 (IANS) Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has lashed out at the murderers of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi who was killed in the kingdom’s Istanbul consulate last year.
“(They will) pay the price and be held accountable,” he said, following release of a UN expert’s report on Wednesday which held Saudi Arabia responsible in the murder case.
Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and a critic of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was killed and reportedly dismembered in October 2018 by a team of 15 agents sent from Riyadh. His body has not been found till now.
While Riyadh initially denied any knowledge of the incident, Saudi officials later claimed that a group of rogue agents, many of whom belong to the Crown Prince’s inner circle, were responsible for the journalist’s death.
Speaking at an event in Istanbul, Erdogan said that the report proved that Saudi Arabia was guilty and had prior knowledge of the murder, Anadolu news agency reported.
UN special rapporteur Agnes Callamard said in the report that she had found “credible evidence” to further probe Saudi officials, including the Crown Prince for the journalist’s killing.
Saudi Arabia has so far rejected the report.