UN official meets Khashoggi's fiancée in Istanbul

By Emin Ileri

ISTANBUL (AA) - A UN official investigating the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi met his fiancée in Istanbul on Thursday.

Agnes Callamard, the UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, who is leading an international inquiry into the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, had a closed-door meeting with Hatice Cengiz.

Callamard later met with some NGO representatives.

The UN official and the accompanying delegation have reportedly finalized her meetings in Istanbul and is expected to meet with government and intelligence representatives in the capital Ankara.

On Wednesday, the UN delegation gathered with some journalists, NGO representatives and the executives of Turkish-Arab Media Association.

Callamard will stay in Turkey until February 2.

The UN Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner last week said that the international investigation would be led under Callamard's authorization and it would "review and evaluate, from a human rights perspective, the circumstances surrounding the killing of Khashoggi."

Callamard is being accompanied by Baroness Helena Kennedy, QC, and Professor Duarte Nuno Vieira from the University of Coimbra, Portugal.

The UN delegation Wednesday carried out examinations around the Saudi Consulate General in Istanbul, then spoke to Irfan Fidan, the chief public prosecutor of the city.

Callamard is going to provide her findings and recommendation on the murder investigation as a report in the UN Human Rights Council session scheduled for June.

- Killing of Saudi journalist

Khashoggi, a contributor to The Washington Post, was killed at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.

After producing various contradictory explanations, Riyadh acknowledged he was killed inside the consulate building, blaming the act on a botched rendition operation.

Turkey has sought the extradition of the Saudi citizens involved in the killing as well as a fuller accounting of the killing from Riyadh.