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STORY: UN / KHASHOGGI INVESTIGATION
TRT: 2:09
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 19 JUNE 2019, NEW YORK CITY
FILE - NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, UNHQ exterior
19 JUNE 2019, NEW YORK CITY
2. Wide shot, press room
3. Med shot, journalists
4. Wide shot, Dujarric at podium
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Stephane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, United Nations:
“The Secretary-General will give full consideration to the recommendations regarding the protection of journalists, which is an issue as you know he has been very vocal about. As for the actual killing of Jamal Khashoggi, the Secretary-General believes that this was a horrendous crime that shocked people around the world. Since the first reports surfaced, He has clearly condemned it and called for a prompt, thorough and transparent investigation, and accountability for those responsible, with full respect to due process. This remains his position. The Secretary-General, as we have been saying, does not have the power or the authority to launch criminal investigations without a mandate from a competent intergovernmental body. The power and authority to do that lies with Member States. If a full and effective criminal investigation is not conducted by Member States, the only to effectively pursue an investigation requiring the cooperation of relevant Member States, would be through a resolution of the Security Council under the appropriate Charter provisions. And all Member States should cooperate with those efforts.”
6. Med shot, journalist asking question
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Stephane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, United Nations:
(starts under cutaway) “The report was conducted by a Special Rapporteur, who as you know and we’ve said often – are independent from the Secretary-General. They are appointed by the Human Rights Council. It’s not for the Secretary-General to agree or not agree with what the Special Rapporteur reports. There are a couple of recommendations aimed at the Secretary-General, as there are recommendations to the Security Council, to individual Member States. And I think it is everyone’s responsibility to study those recommendations.”
8. Wide shot, Dujarric at podium
A UN spokesperson said Secretary-General Antonio Guterres believes the killing of Jamal Khashoggi was a “horrendous crime,” but stressed that the UN chief “does not have the power or the authority to launch criminal investigations without a mandate from a competent intergovernmental body.”
Earlier today (19 Jun), UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary killings Agnes Callamard published a report in which she said Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was the victim of a premeditated extrajudicial execution, for which the State of Saudi Arabia is responsible.
Responding to questions by reporters in New York regarding the report, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said Guterres received the report and has been studying it. He said the Secretary-General would give “full consideration” to the recommendations regarding the protection of journalists.
Dujjaric said the UN chief clearly condemned the killing of Khashoggi and called for “a prompt, thorough and transparent investigation, and accountability for those responsible, with full respect to due process.”
The UN spokesperson noted that Guterres “does not have the power or the authority to launch criminal investigations without a mandate from a competent intergovernmental body” adding that the power and authority to do that “lies with Member States.”
He added, “If a full and effective criminal investigation is not conducted by Member States, the only to effectively pursue an investigation requiring the cooperation of relevant Member States, would be through a resolution of the Security Council under the appropriate Charter provisions. And all Member States should cooperate with those efforts.”
Dujjaric noted that the report was conducted by a Special Rapporteur, who are independent from the Secretary-General and appointed by the Human Rights Council. He said, “It’s not for the Secretary-General to agree or not agree with what the Special Rapporteur reports. There are a couple of recommendations aimed at the Secretary-General, as there are recommendations to the Security Council, to individual Member States. And I think it is everyone’s responsibility to study those recommendations.”
Callamard’s report stated that the circumstances of Khashoggi’s death have led to numerous theories and allegations, but none alters the responsibility of the Saudi State and added that 15 Saudi state agents acted under cover of their official status and used state means to execute Khashoggi.
The report also included a range of recommendations addressed to Turkey and the United States, as well as to Member States generally and corporate actors. Callamard further recommended the establishment of new mechanisms at UN level to strengthen the prevention and criminal investigation of targeted killings.
