Brussels (AFP)

Jamal Khashoggi's fiancée Hatice Cengiz and UN special rapporteur on summary executions Agnès Callamard on Tuesday denounced in Brussels the international community's inaction vis-à-vis Saudi Arabia, including 14 months after the murder of the journalist in Istanbul.

Since Ms. Callamard's submission in June of a damning report to the Saudi regime before the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on this murder, "there has been no significant action on the part of the international community, "lamented Hatice Cengiz, whose remarks in Turkish were translated into English at a press conference.

The UN expert concluded that there was sufficient evidence to justify the opening of an international investigation into the responsibilities of senior Saudi officials in this crime, including Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Mr. Khashoggi, a journalist critical of Saudi power, was killed and dismembered in his country's consulate in Istanbul by a Saudi commando on October 2, 2018.

"We are calling for an international investigation and I am working towards that end," said Hatice Cengiz. "This is not a case that can be closed like that, for me, the murder of Jamal Khashoggi is the most inhuman of the modern era".

"I want this to continue to disturb people, and some people have to lose sleep," she said.

At his side, Ms. Callamard "denounced (...) the passivity of the international community to hold Saudi Arabia accountable", pinning the will of the States "to return to + business as usual +".

"The European Union has been, like the rest of the international community, extremely disappointing in its reactions to Saudi Arabia," said Ms Callamard, who came to Brussels to meet EU officials.

"The international community sends the message that states with sufficient power can get away with impunity after the murder of a journalist," she lashed out.

She called for a moratorium on exports of surveillance equipment and sanctions targeting the highest officials suspected of involvement in the murder, including the Crown Prince, believing that the current individual sanctions were aimed at lower-level individuals.

Callamard also again criticized the upcoming G20 in Saudi Arabia as a "mistake" and asked participating countries to put press freedom and human rights protection on the agenda. She also called for a trial in Turkey on this murder.

© 2019 AFP