UN human rights chief wants international investigation into Khashoggi killing

United Nations human rights chief Michelle Bachelet called on Wednesday for an international investigation into the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

“I do believe it is really needed in terms of ensuring what really happened and who are the [people] responsible for that awful killing,” Bachelet said in response to a question about the need for international intervention at a news conference in Geneva, according to Reuters.

{mosads}U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres had previously called for a “prompt, thorough and transparent investigation into the circumstances of Mr. Khashoggi’s death and full accountability for those responsible.”

Khashoggi was killed in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 3.

Turkish officials maintain that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman directed the killing of the dissident journalist, while Saudi Arabia has distanced the slaying from him and blamed other Saudi operatives.

The CIA has reportedly concluded with a “high degree of certainty” that the crown prince was involved.

Trump administration officials have been more cautious about those reports. After the Senate briefing last week, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told reporters that there is no “direct reporting” connecting Crown Prince Mohammed to the killing, while Defense Secretary James Mattis said there is no “smoking gun.”

Several senators ripped the crown prince after exiting a briefing with CIA Director Gina Haspel on Tuesday, with Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) saying, “there’s not a smoking gun, there’s a smoking saw.”