Vigil to be held on Wednesday to mark the one year anniversary since the disappearance and murder of Saudi journalist.

A vigil is scheduled to be held on Wednesday outside Saudi Arabia’s former consulate building in Istanbul, Turkey to mark the one-year anniversary since the disappearance and murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

The ceremony will begin at 1:14pm local time (1014 GMT) to mark the exact moment when Khashoggi walked into the building in Turkey’s largest city.

Khashoggi – a United States resident and Washington Post columnist – had entered the building on October 2, 2018, to obtain documentation certifying he had divorced his ex-wife so he could remarry.

He never came out of the building, which has since been sold, according to Turkey’s Haberturk TV.

In November last year, the US Central Intelligence Agency or CIA concluded that MBS ordered the killing of Khashoggi. 

In June, Agnes Callamard, a UN rights experts, cited “credible evidence” in calling for an investigation on Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the murder.

Earlier this week, the crown prince, also known as MBS, said in an interview with a US television that he takes “full responsibility” for Khashoggi’s death but denied allegations that he ordered the killing.

Here are the latest developments on the first anniversary of the killing.

Click HERE for all previous updates

Wednesday, October 2

Slain Saudi writer’s fiancee says MBS must give answers

The fiancee of slain Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi said on Tuesday that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has a duty to answer questions now that he has accepted responsibility for the killing inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul last year.

Hatice Cengiz told the Associated Press news agency that she was apprehensive about returning to the site on Wednesday for a ceremony marking the anniversary of Khashoggi’s death, but took strength knowing she would not be alone this time.

Cengiz waited outside the consulate last year on October 2 as Khashoggi entered to collect documents needed to marry her. He never re-emerged.

The Washington Post columnist, who wrote critically about the prince, was killed by agents of the Saudi government who apparently dismembered his body, which has never been found.

Monday, September 30

Khashoggi’s son defends Saudi Arabia against critics

The son of murdered Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who has denied a financial settlement with the government, has spoken out in defence of the kingdom before the first anniversary of his father’s killing.

Salah Khashoggi said he had “full confidence” in the Saudi judicial system, and hit out at opponents he said were seeking to exploit the case.

“A year has gone by since the passing of my beloved father. During this time, opponents and enemies of the motherland in the East and West sought to exploit his case … to undermine my country and leadership,” he said in a tweet late on Monday.

“Never in his life would my father have accepted any offence against the motherland, and I will not accept his memory to be used for this purpose after his death.”

Thursday, September 26

Khashoggi murder ‘happened under my watch’, MBS tells PBS

Saudi Arabia’s crown prince said he bears responsibility for the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi last year by Saudi operatives “because it happened under my watch,” according to a PBS documentary.

The death sparked a global uproar, tarnishing the crown prince’s image and imperilling ambitious plans to diversify the economy of the world’s top oil exporter and open up Saudi Arabia’s society. He has not since visited the United States or Europe.

“It happened under my watch. I get all the responsibility because it happened under my watch,” he told PBS’ Martin Smith, according to a preview of the documentary, The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, aired live on Tuesday, in the run-up to the one-year anniversary of Khashoggi’s death.

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