I thought I would become his wife, instead became last witness to a murder: Khashoggi's fiancee Hatice Cengiz
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'As a matter of fact, Jamal had been trying to draw the world's attention to something when he was alive and he managed to do it with his death,' Cengiz said.
One year after the murder of Saudi Journalist Jamal Khashoggi, his fiancee Hatice Cengiz remembered the day her life changed.
Today, Cengiz will mark the murder's first anniversary outside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul together with activists and UN Special rapporteur Agnes Callamard.
Cengiz said that while she was waiting outside for him she had wedding plans on her mind.
"There and then I thought I would become Jamal's wife. Instead, I became the last witness before a murder. We were about to set a date for the wedding that day, that was what we had planned. There was no reason for us to wait, because it was all done, our house was done, our furniture was about to arrive the week after. This is what was in my mind while I waited until the very last second until I got worried and started to get anxious about why he didn't come back out and started acting. Those were the only things in my mind, there was nothing else," she told Swedish broadcaster TV4 in an interview on September 30.
"After a few days, many details came out about what happened, quite horrendous details about injections and how the murder happened and what was said inside. How could you protect yourself from all those details coming out in the media?'' Cengiz further said.
"As a matter of fact, Jamal had been trying to draw the world's attention to something when he was alive and he managed to do it with his death," Cengiz added.
Watch Video: MBS denies killing journalist Jamal Khashoggi
Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist, was last seen at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2, 2018, where he was to receive papers ahead of his wedding. His body was reportedly dismembered and removed from the building, and his remains have not been found.
A global outcry ensued and led to US Treasury sanctions on 17 Saudi individuals and a Senate resolution blaming Prince Mohammed bin Salman, of whom Khashoggi was a critic.
The Saudi crown prince told CBS program "60 Minutes" that as de facto Saudi leader he ultimately bore "full responsibility" for the killing a year ago, but he denied ordering it.
Cengiz said that many questions about the murder remained unanswered.