(Bloomberg) -- A senior United Nations human rights official arrived in Turkey on Monday to head an inquiry into the murder of Saudi columnist Jamal Khashoggi at the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul.
It is the first UN-supported independent investigation into the Khashoggi affair. Agnès Callamard, an expert on executions at the office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, will assess the nature and extent of states’ and individuals’ responsibilities for the killing, the UN Information Center in Ankara said in a statement.
Her inquiry will also assess steps taken by governments to address and respond to the killing, the statement said.
Khashoggi, an exile who wrote critically about the Saudi regime, was killed and dismembered by people close to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the consulate after entering to pick up documents. Saudi Arabia has said the 33-year-old de facto ruler was not aware of any plan to kill Khashoggi.
The rapporteur, who will stay in Turkey until Sunday, will report her findings to the UN Human Rights Council during the June 2019 session.
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