IRNA – Some 10 legal Arab and Turkish institutes in a statement on Saturday called for handing over 18 people accused of killing Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi to Turkish courts and UN investigation into the case.


The statement also urged stripping Saudi Arabia of UN Human Rights Council membership and ban export of arms to the country by western states until the investigations on his murder ended.

The statement titled ‘Stop murder for humanity’ has been signed by five legal institutes in Istanbul and five Arab institutes operating in London.

“Killing Khashoggi is a crime committed by Saudi Arabia, as all those involved in the crime are official members of the Saudi government and his death occurred in a state site attended by official representative of the country in the consulate,” the statement said.

The legal institutes also stressed that the perpetrators of the crime should be brought to justice.

Khashoggi--a Saudi writer, US resident and Washington Post columnist-- entered the building on October 2 to obtain documentation certifying he had divorced his ex-wife so he could remarry.

After weeks of repeated denials that it had anything to do with his disappearance, the kingdom eventually acknowledged that the murder was premeditated. The whereabouts of his body are still unknown.