WEB DESK
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called on Saudi Arabia to prove its claim about a missing Saudi journalist.
Erdogan made the call following a report that Jamal Khashoggi, who was critical of the Saudi government, went missing after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2nd to obtain a document for marriage.
The report alleges that he was killed inside the consulate building.
Saudi Arabian authorities called the allegation baseless, and said that Khashoggi left the consulate.
Erdogan told reporters on Monday during a visit to Hungary that the consulate officials cannot explain themselves simply by saying ‘he has left’. He said that the officials need to prove their claim with evidence.
Turkish media say that Erdogan’s administration has asked Saudi Arabia for permission to search the Istanbul consulate to investigate the case.
Also on Monday, protesters, including a group of journalists, staged a rally in front of the consulate compound, demanding information about what happened to the journalist and his whereabouts.
They said that if he was killed, it’s a heinous crime.