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The sons of the murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi have asked the Saudi authorities to return the body of their father so that the family can properly mourn, she told CNN in an interview broadcast Sunday.
Khashoggi was killed inside the Kingdom's consulate in Istanbul by a team sent from Riyadh on October 2, a murder allegedly ordered by the Turkish president to the "highest levels" of the Saudi government.
"I really hope that everything that happened will not hurt him, or that it was fast, or that he had a peaceful death," said Abdullah Khashoggi. to the American network during an interview in Washington.
His brother Salah said, "All we want right now is to bury him in Al Baqi, in Medina, with the rest of his family," referring to a cemetery in Saudi Arabia.
"I have talked to the Saudi authorities and I just hope it will happen soon."
The Turkish Attorney General recently stated that Khashoggi was strangled as soon as he entered the consulate and also confirmed that the body was dismembered.
Yasin Aktay, adviser to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, hinted in an article published Friday that the body was even destroyed with acid.
The assassination of Khashoggi provoked a public outcry and strong criticism from Washington, usually the most loyal of its allies.
Khashoggi's sons have expressed concern that their father's work, a Washington Post columnist, may be distorted for political reasons.
"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," he said. Salah told CNN. "My fear is that it's over-politicized."
"Jamal has never been a dissident – he believed in the monarchy, that is what keeps the country united."
The brothers said that they mainly relied on reports to understand their father's death.
"There are a lot of ups and downs … we are trying to get the story – fragments of history to complete the picture," Abdullah said. "It's confusing and difficult."
"It's not a normal situation nor a normal death."
Salah stressed that "the king has stressed that everyone will be brought to justice, and I have faith in it."
The murdered journalist's fiancée called on US President Donald Trump to support Turkey's efforts to investigate the murder.
Khashoggi's murder provoked a public outcry
Chronology of Saudi statements relating to the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Amnesty International activists erected a false street sign stating "Khashoggi Street" in front of the Saudi Arabian Embassy in London.
