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Salah and Abdullah Khashoggi, who described their father as "brave, generous and brave," said they endured weeks of anguish and uncertainty after his disappearance and death.
"I really hope that everything that happened did not cause him pain, or that it was fast, or that he had a peaceful death," Abdullah said. Khashoggi, 33, at CNN during a sitting interview with his brother Salah, 35 years old.
The Turkish authorities – who say that Khashoggi was murdered by a squadron of fire sent from Riyadh – are still searching for the journalist's remains. Earlier this week, the Attorney General's office said that Khashoggi's body was dismembered after strangling, while the Washington Post reported that investigators were examining the theory that the body was dissolved in acid. . A source close to the Saudi royal palace has denied knowing the location of the body.
Without the body of their father, the brothers say that their family is unable to mourn or find the end.
"All we want right now is burying him in Al-Baqi (cemetery) in Medina (Saudi Arabia) with the rest of his family," Salah said.
"I have talked to the Saudi authorities and I just hope it will happen soon."
Saudi Arabia presented an evolutionary account of what happened to Khashoggi, a Saudi citizen, when he entered the consulate to obtain papers for his marriage; the journalist was preparing to get married for the third time. Authorities initially denied knowing his fate before later admitting that a group of dishonest operators, often part of the heir apparent circle of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, in was responsible. Riyadh claimed that neither Salman nor his father, King Salman, were aware of the operation to target Khashoggi.
But what really came to worry his two sons, their two sisters and their mother, are the lies that have arisen since the death of Khashoggi.
Abdullah and Salah say that their father was misunderstood and intentionally misrepresented for political reasons.
"Jamal was a moderate person who was appreciated by all and had differences and values in common with everyone," said Salah, describing Khashoggi as a sincere and happy person and an "extraordinary" father.
"I see a lot of people going out to try to claim his legacy and unfortunately, some of them are using it in a political way with which we absolutely do not agree."
"Public opinion is important … but I'm afraid this is excessive politicization, people are launching analyzes that could move us away from the truth."
Khashoggi was labeled as a Muslim Brotherhood sympathizer and a dangerous Islamist during phone calls from the Saudi Crown Prince with Jared Kushner, son-in-law of US adviser to President Donald Trump and adviser to the Middle East, and John Bolton, advisor for national security, according to reports in the Washington Post and the New York Times. The Muslim Brotherhood, considered a terrorist group in many Arab countries, but not in the United States or Europe, has long been considered an existential threat by the leaders of the desert kingdom.
"These are just labels and people who do not do their homework properly, and who read their article and go in. It's easier to stick a tag on it," said Abdullah, asked about the Brothers' claim Muslims.
Asked about the memory of Khashoggi, Salah replied: "as a moderate man sharing the same values with everyone … a man who loves his country, who believes in it so much and in its potential".
"Jamal has never been a dissident.He believed in the monarchy that is what keeps the country united.And he believed in the transformation that he undergoes."
Reflecting on their father's career as a journalist, they say that Khashoggi was "like a rock and roll star" when they were with him in Saudi Arabia.
"It was a public figure appreciated by all," Salah said. "You do not see much in the media, in the print media."
If there is a fragility related to the sudden loss of a parent, Salah and Abdullah, his youngest two-year-old, do not show it, but the eyes plunged into the darkness of Salah show the voltage.
Salah, the eldest of the two brothers, has become the main family contact point of the Saudi government, which means that all Khashoggi's relatives call him. It is a large family and a heavy emotional burden that is not alleviated by the lack of facts. He says he's relying on news stories for updates on the investigation of his father's death.
"Our source is the same as yours, it's a mystery, it weighs heavily on all of us, everyone is looking for information just like us, they think we have answers, and unfortunately we do not do it, "said Salah.
Abdullah, who lives in the United Arab Emirates, says that he was the last of Khashoggi's children to see him alive. When he learned that the journalist would visit Turkey, he went to visit him and spent time with him and his fiancée, Hatice Cengiz. He saw their relationship flourishing and the happiness of his father.
"He was happy, it was a very good opportunity for me to see him, we spent time in Istanbul, we had fun," Abdullah said. "I was really lucky to have the last moment with him, I am very grateful."
After the killing, Abdullah was the first family member to visit Khashoggi's apartment in Virginia. There, he said, he discovered that his father had placed a picture of his grandchildren, the two children of Abdullah and the daughter of Salah near his bed.
Abdullah says he realized how much his father loved his family by placing a photo where he would see them last time at night.
"It shocked me," Abdullah said. "It put the emphasis on her soft and tender side to love her family, her grandchildren.It's just something huge and that has touched me personally and the whole family when they knew it. "
The brothers say their father intended to leave the Washington area to settle in Turkey to get closer to his children and grandchildren.
"The main reason behind his choice to live in Turkey is to be closer to his family, he has a special relationship with all his sisters, it was difficult for us to hear the tragic news," he said. Salah.
Salah and Abdullah are suffering, but they do not apologize for their fate. They speak in public now to restore the part of Khashoggi's story that belongs to the family. But they say that every day is difficult, scouring the news for every detail about the murder of their father.
"It's difficult, it's not easy, especially when the story takes such a magnitude.It's not easy, it's confusing.Even the way we we cry, it's a bit confusing, "Abdullah said. "At the same time, we are looking at media and misinformation, there are a lot of ups and downs, we try to be emotional and at the same time we try to make history – fragments of To complete the complete picture.It is confusing and difficult.This is not a normal situation and not a normal death. "
Salah, Abdullah and their sisters Noha, 27, and Razan, 25, want to continue living, live and work in the Middle East and have been placed under unenviable light.
Salah will soon resume his job as a banker in Jeddah, and fears the reaction of commentators social media. He said that his handshake with the Crown Prince shortly before his departure from Saudi Arabia two weeks ago had been widely misunderstood.
"I mean that there was nothing there, they were just analyzing the whole situation," Salah said. "I understand why they're trying to do that, they're trying to get as much information as possible from anything, what we're doing, sometimes they're just baseless claims, sometimes it does not make sense. "
Salah says that he is waiting for the investigation to be completed and for the facts to be revealed.
"The king stressed that all the people involved would be brought to justice, and I trust them that will happen, otherwise the Saudis would not have opened an internal investigation," Salah said.
When asked if he placed his faith in the king, Salah replied, "yes."
