Merkel "does not accept" the Saudi version of Khashoggi's death

German Chancellor Angela Merkel
Merkel "does not accept" the Saudi version of Khashoggi's death
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said she does not accept the Saudi version of the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul on October 2
Merkel said in a speech at a meeting of the Christian Democratic Union in eastern Germany that the "horrific events" surrounding the killing of the Saudi journalist were an indication that democratic values ​​were at stake in the whole world
The German Chancellor said: "These events have not yet been disclosed and of course we demand clarification"
Saudi prosecutor Saud bin Abdullah said on Friday night that preliminary investigations into Khashoggi's disappearance showed his "death" as a result of a clash with people he met at the consulate in Istanbul on October 2. So far in the context of investigations, while an official source explained that they are all Saudi nationality
Saudi Arabia faces widespread international criticism over the disappearance of Khashoggi, who has criticized the kingdom's policies in many areas after entering his consulate in Istanbul, Turkey on Oct. 2
The Turkish and Saudi authorities initially presented conflicting accounts of Khashoggi's whereabouts since he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, where Ankara said he had not left the building while Riyadh insisted he had left shortly after finishing work on his marital status
Khashoggi was the editor-in-chief of the Saudi daily Al-Watan. He also served as adviser to Prince Turki al-Faisal, the former Saudi ambassador to Washington, but left the country after Prince Mohammed bin Salman was crown prince
The Saudi journalist has been in the United States for more than a year and since then has written articles in the Washington Post criticizing Saudi policies toward Qatar and Canada, the war in Yemen and dealing with the media and activists
Many Western countries, led by the United States, Britain, France and Germany, as well as the United Nations and the European Union, have demanded Saudi Arabia to conduct an impartial, transparent and comprehensive investigation into Khashoggi's death. Arab countries have expressed their solidarity with the kingdom in the face of threats of sanctions if it is proven to be involved in the disappearance. Journalist
Source: Bloomberg + Agencies