Credit: Gary Raynaldo / ©Diplomatic Times  /  United Nations Special Rapporteur on Summary Executions, Dr. Agnes Callamard, speaks at press conference at UN world headquarters New York Oct. 25, 2019.

By Gary Raynaldo   /  DIPLOMATIC  TIMES

UNITED NATIONS  –   NEW  YORK –  Agnes Callamard, the UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, said she regrets that the world body’s Secretary-General has been “reluctant” to investigate the “chain of command” in Saudi Arabia  who “ordered”  the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.  This month marks the one-year anniversary of the brutal killing of the Saudi Journalist in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.   In a damning report in July,  Callamard,  a UN-appointed independent investigator concluded  that responsibility for the killing of dissident Saudi journalist Khashoggi lies with “high-level officials” of the monarchy. The UN investigator also renewed a call for “full State accountability for the  horrific crime.”  Callamard spoke to reporters at the UN last Friday and expressed disappointment at the lack of accountability for the  horrific murder one year later.

“What I have confronted after the release of my report  is a reluctance of UN decision making bodies to take a stand and  to act in more courageous and  direct fashion.  (They are) hidden behind legal framework. There has been no attempt to empower a decision making towards a more courageous outcome. I was really hoping that the Secretary General could have taken the work I had done to understand the chain of command behind the killing, as to who ordered, who allowed, who incited, who turned a blind eye to what was going to happen. I deeply regret that the Secretary-General and others institutions within UN did not take this opportunity to push further our understand of chain of command and our commitment to tackle the chain of command.  I think it is a real pity. We are going to continue to push for answers.”

-Agnes Callamard, the UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions.

Credit: Wikipedia  Commons /  Slain  dissident  journalist Jamal Khashoggi 

 Khashoggi Murder Was a “State Killing”  Not a Rogue Operation:  Anges Callamard 

Credit: Gary Raynaldo / ©Diplomatic Times  /  United Nations Special Rapporteur on Summary Executions, Dr. Agnes Callamard, speaks at press conference at UN world headquarters New York Oct. 25, 2019.

Callamard ‘s  report concluded that the  killing of Khashoggi  was a “special operation that was well organized , well resourced, that involved a premeditated murder.”  Callimard said her findings pointed to a scenario involving many officials in Riyadh  involved in the organization of this special operation.

“I know that what happened after the killing involved authorities in Riyadh including 17 saudi officials that came after  the killing to investigate supposedly , and to clean up the crime scene.  What all this information come together shows.  This shows this was a state killing. It shows that this  was not a rogue operation by individuals who decided one day to  kill Mr.  Khashoggi. What we have determined that this is a state killing,  a killing for which the state is responsible, the  next step is try understand what do we mean by state, how far up do we go  in that state. What I do know is that for a killing of that nature to have taken place in a country like Saudi Arabia which is extremely centralized in its decision making, a number of very high level officials have to be involved. I do not know whether the Crown Prince ordered the crime. What I do know is that there is enough evidence pointing to his responsibility at some level. Is it at the level of ordering, inciting, at the level of knowing but really not acting on what he knew. His responsibility can carry a range of scenarios. I can’t tell you which of those scenarios apply to his case. What I can tell you at least one of those scenarios apply to his case.”

Credit:  Wikipedia Commons:  Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia denied that any officials of the Kingdom had any involvement in Khashoggi’s murder, and blamed it on “rogue”  elements who acted on their own.

According to the Washington Post, the CIA last November concluded that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the assassination of Khashoggi in Istanbul, contradicting the Saudi government’s claims that he was not involved in the killing.

Part of the UN Khashoggi report stated that “the Secretary‑General himself should be able to establish an international follow‑up criminal investigation without any trigger by a State.”  When asked if the Secretary‑General will act on this recommendation, Spokesman Dujarric said at the time in June:    “The Secretary‑General, as we’ve been saying, does not have the power or the authority to launch criminal investigations without a mandate from a competent intergovernmental body.  Power and authority to do that lies with Member States.  If a full and effective criminal investigation is not conducted by Member States, the only way to effectively pursue an investigation, requiring the cooperation of relevant Member States, would be through a resolution of the Security Council, under the appropriate Charter provisions.  And all Member States should cooperate with those efforts.”