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ISTANBUL – Turkey will "never conceal" the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, said a senior official of the ruling party in Turkey, after the announcement made by Saudi Arabia a few hours earlier than the writer "In his consulate.
The critical reaction of Numan Kurtulmus, deputy head of the Justice and Development Party, hinted that Turkey, which had opened its own investigation after pro-government media had announced the death of a Saudi group of Khashoggi, was not ready to accept the Saudi version of what happened to the writer.
"It is not possible for the Saudi administration to get out of this crime if it is confirmed," Kurtulmus said. He also said that Turkey would share with the world its evidence of the killing of Khashoggi and that a "conclusive result" of the investigation is near.
Another head of the ruling party in Turkey also criticized Saudi Arabia, saying the kingdom should have given explanations "before the situation reached this point"
Leyla Sahin Usta, head of human rights in the ruling party, said it would have been "more valuable" if Saudi officials had previously acknowledged that Khashoggi had been killed in his diplomatic post.
Saudi Arabia initially denied having learned of the disappearance of Khashoggi, who disappeared after entering the consulate on 2 October. But on Saturday, he admitted to being killed and said 18 Saudi suspects were in custody and intelligence officials were fired.
The overnight Saudi public media announcements came more than two weeks after Khashoggi, 59, entered the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul to complete the paperwork necessary to marry his Turkish bride. They also contradicted claims in leaks in the Turkish media that Khashoggi was allegedly tortured, killed and dismembered inside the consulate, according to the kingdom, which he dismissed as "groundless".
But growing international pressure and comments from US officials to President Donald Trump forced the kingdom to recognize Khashoggi's death.
While dismissing officials close to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia did not involve the heir to the world's largest oil exporter. King Salman, his father, appointed him to head a committee to restructure the kingdom's intelligence services after Khashoggi's murder. In Saudi Arabia, no major decision is made outside the Al Saud family, in the power of the ultra-conservative realm.
The kingdom also proposed a version of events quite different from that given by Turkish officials, who asserted that a "squad of murders" of the kingdom, including a leader of Prince Mohammed's entourage and an "autopsy expert" had been put on hold in advance. for Khashoggi at the consulate. Beyond its statements attributed to anonymous officials, Saudi Arabia has provided no evidence to support its claims.
Khashoggi, a prominent journalist and royal court insider for decades in Saudi Arabia, wrote articles for the Washington Post criticizing Prince Mohammed and the leadership of the kingdom while living in voluntary exile in the United States.
"May God have mercy on you, my love Jamal, and may you rest in paradise," said Khashoggi's fiancée, Hatice Cengiz, following Saudi announcements.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is "deeply troubled" by the confirmation of Khashoggi's violent death, a spokesman said.
Guterres "insists on the need for a prompt, thorough and transparent investigation into the circumstances of Mr. Khashoggi's death and accountability," said spokesman Stephane Dujarric. a statement.
Standing in front of the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul, the head of a media group said that "the authority that gave the orders" in the assassination of Khashoggi should be punished.
Turan Kislakci, president of the Turkish Arab Media Association, said that Khashoggi had been "murdered by deadly murderers" and that his group wanted "real justice" for his murdered colleague.
In a statement on Friday night, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the United States would closely monitor international investigations into Khashoggi's death and advocate for "speedy, transparent and consistent justice". procedures. "
Meanwhile, Trump called the Saudi announcement "a good first step," but said that what happened to Khashoggi was "unacceptable".
The announcements were announced by a flurry of statements from the state-run Saudi news agency Saturday morning.
"The preliminary investigations conducted by the public prosecutor's office showed that the suspects had gone to Istanbul to meet the citizen Jamal Khashoggi because there were indications of the possibility of his return to the country," the statement said. "Discussions took place with citizen Jamal Khashoggi during his presence at the Istanbul consulate of the kingdom by the suspects (who) did not go as planned and developed in a negative way, which led to a fight in his hands. naked. The fight led to his death and their attempt to conceal and conceal what happened. "
There is no indication that Khashoggi has immediate plans to return to the kingdom.
The Saudi statements did not identify the 18 Saudis held by the authorities and did not explain how many people could have been involved in a fight. The statement does not shed light on what happened to Khashoggi's body after his death.
"The Kingdom expresses its deep regret at the painful developments that have taken place and underlines the commitment of the authorities of the Kingdom to bring the facts to the attention of the public, to hold all the officials involved and to bring them to justice", said the statement. .
At the same time, the kingdom announced the dismissal of four senior intelligence officials, including Major-General Ahmed bin Hassan Assiri, former spokesman for the Saudi army campaign in Yemen, who later became a leader. Prince Mohammed's confidant.
Saud Qahtani, powerful adviser to Prince Mohammed, was also fired. Qahtani had led Saudi efforts to isolate Qatar as part of a boycott of the country by the kingdom and three other Arab countries in the context of a political conflict.
On Twitter, where Qahtani had launched vitriolic attacks against those whom he considered enemies of the kingdom, he thanked the Saudi government for "the great opportunity they offered me to serve my country all these years".
"I will remain a faithful servant of my country forever," he wrote.
Assiri does not have any immediate comment.
Earlier this week, Turkish pro-government newspaper Yeni Safak, citing what he described as an audio recording of Khashoggi's assassination, said a Saudi assassination squad had seized the journalist after entering the country. consulate, cutting off his fingers and then decapitating him. On Thursday, Maher Abdulaziz Mutreb, a member of Prince Mohammed's entourage, was traveling to the United States, France and Spain this year, in a surveillance photograph hidden in front of the consulate just before Khashoggi's arrival.
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