Khashoggi’s fiancee publishes book in memory of slain journalist

Cengiz said book was inspired by a diary she kept as well as his personality, relationship with friends and family.

Jamal Khashoggi
The Saudi journalist was murdered shortly after entering the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul on October 2 [Hatice Cengiz]

Hatice Cengiz, the fiancée of slain Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi has announced the publication of a memoir in which she discusses the work and legacy of the famed critic.

Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and firm critic of Saudi Arabia’s reform programme under the stewardship of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), was killed after entering the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul on October 2 last year.

The journalist was hoping to obtain paperwork certifying he had divorced his ex-wife in order to be able to re-marry. 

Cengiz, 37, said on Monday the book, entitled Jamal Khashoggi: His Life, Struggles and Secrets, was inspired by a personal diary she kept in which she documented her first encounter with the journalist as well as his personality and relationship with friends and family.

Following Khashoggi’s disappearance, Saudi authorities initially insisted he left the consulate’s premises but later admitted that the journalist had been killed in an operation they described as undertaken by “rogue elements”.

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Most recently, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan lashed out at the United States for not taking a tougher position against Saudi Arabia on the murder.

“I cannot understand America’s silence when such a horrific attack, and even after members of the CIA listened to the recordings we provided,” Erdogan told state broadcaster TRT on Sunday. 

The Turkish leader’s remarks came as Agnes Callamard, the UN’s special rapporteur on extrajudicial executions concluded a week-long trip to Turkey on Sunday to gather information on the events surrounding the killing. 

Callamard is understood to have heard the audio recording of the Saudi journalist’s last moments, which are in Turkey’s possession and were previously shared with CIA Director Gina Haspel, as well as authorities from Germany, France and Britain.

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Turkish and Western intelligence officials have either hinted or directly blamed MBS for the murder.

WATCH: Inside Story – What can the investigation into Khashoggi’s murder achieve? (25:00)

Source: Al Jazeera