‘Be fair with journo death’

Ankara – The European Union’s top diplomat Federica Mogherini said yesterday all those “really responsible” for the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi have to be held accountable.

After Saudi Arabia accepted responsibility and said 21 people were in custody, with death penalties sought against five men, attention turned to whether the crown prince would be found culpable.

“Those responsible, really responsible for this terrible murder have to be accountable,” Mogherini told a news conference in Ankara with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.

Calling for a “completely transparent and credible investigation”, she said: “For us accountability does not mean revenge.”

Khashoggi, a US resident who wrote for The Washington Post and had been critical of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was killed in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2.

After lengthy denials, Saudi authorities admitted responsibility and said 21 people had been taken into custody. However, a leaked CIA analysis went further, reportedly pointing the finger at the crown prince.

“We’ve always been against, for instance, the death penalty but we expect full investigations which are transparent and fair to take place,” Mogeherini said. – AFP