The fiancée of Jamal Khashoggi, the Saudi journalist who was killed in his country’s consulate in Istanbul last October, provided testimonies about the Gulf kingdom’s human rights violations at the European Parliament.
Hatice Cengiz was among five victims on Tuesday who were invited by the European Parliament’s subcommittee on human rights to give evidence of the human rights abuses committed by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.
Ms Cengiz told the subcommittee: “I’m here not only as the fiancée of Jamal, but also for the values he fought for, values he wanted for the people in his own country, the people of the Arab world.”
During the session, she also criticised the EU’s silent position towards ongoing human rights violations in the Gulf state, most recently and notably her fiancée’s assassination in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
Ms Cengiz added: “Up until now, nothing has been done to those implicated in this crime.
“Hasn’t the moment come? I ask this question as a simple human being.”
Khashoggi, a US resident and a well-known critic of the Saudi regime, was murdered inside the building of his country’s consulate in Turkey at the hands of 18 Saudi intelligence officers.
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The high profile dissenter remained missing for several days before Saudi authorities admitted he was “accidentally” murdered.
Saudi Arabia has given multiple and conflicting statements about Khashoggi’s killing in a failed attempt to absorb the international condemnation.
