Protesters gathered outside the Saudi Arabian embassy in Nigeria’s capital on Thursday to demand justice for journalist Jamal Khashoggi, seven years after his killing inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
The demonstrators, holding placards and pictures of the late Washington Post columnist, joined Amnesty International Nigeria in marking the anniversary of his death, which the rights group described as an “extrajudicial execution.”
“Inside he was slaughtered and his body dismembered and disposed by a squad of 15 Saudi operatives,” Amnesty International Nigeria said in a statement. “This appalling assassination within the grounds of the consulate amounts to an extrajudicial execution.”
Khashoggi, a critic of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was killed on Oct. 2, 2018. U.S. intelligence later concluded the crown prince approved the operation, a charge Saudi officials have denied.
Amnesty accused world leaders of ignoring the crime. “It is appalling that instead of pushing for justice for his murder, the international community continues to roll out the red carpet for Saudi Arabia’s leaders at any opportunity, placing diplomatic and economic interests before human rights,” it said.
The group said that no independent or impartial investigation has been conducted into the role of senior Saudi officials. “Seven years after Jamal Khashoggi’s brutal assassination sent shockwaves around the world, the path to justice for his killing remains fully blocked,” it said.