This archive report was first published on 1 October 2019.
On the eve of the first anniversary of Jamal Khashoggi's murder, Agnes Callamard, the United Nations special rapporteur on extrajudicial killings, has criticized Saudi Arabia's crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, for trying to distance himself from the crime.
Callamard was reacting to an interview with Prince Mohammed, broadcast by US media on Sunday, in which he denied ordering or having advanced warning of Khashoggi's killing on October 2, 2018, at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
However, Prince Mohammed took 'full responsibility as a leader in Saudi Arabia,' which Callamard dismissed as 'problematic.'
She said that the interview marked a concession by Prince Mohammed that 'the killing of Mr. Khashoggi was a state killing,' but condemned the prince for taking 'no personal responsibility for the crime.'
Callamard told AFP, 'He is creating huge distance between himself and the crime, by arguing that he cannot be liable for the conduct of all Saudi government employees.'
She added, 'Not good enough,' and called on UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to independently launch a UN criminal probe into Khashoggi's murder.
The CIA has reportedly said the killing was likely ordered by Prince Mohammed, while Saudi prosecutors have absolved the prince and said two dozen people implicated in the murder are in custody, with death penalties sought against five men.
