Report ‘untrue’

Saudi Arabia said yesterday that a report by a UN expert on the murder of Jamal Khashoggi contains “baseless allegations” and “contradictions.” Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel Al Jubeir said the report contained “nothing new.”

He said the judicial authorities in the Kingdom are the only ones competent to investigate the case and that a number of suspects have already been arrested. The report “contains clear contradictions and baseless allegations which challenge its credibility,” he said on Twitter. “We strongly reject any attempt to prejudice the Kingdom’s leadership or to remove the case from the course of justice in the Kingdom or influencing it in any way.”

The report released Wednesday by UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Agnes Callamard, said the murder of Khashoggi was the responsibility of the state of Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia late last year indicted 11 people for the killing and prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against five of them. Saudi prosecutors said Khashoggi was killed by a “rogue operation” in a botched attempt to repatriate him.

Mr Al Jubeir said the trials are being attended by representatives from the embassies of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council in addition to Turkey and Saudi human rights organisations.