“I can’t breathe” – Audio recording reveals slain Saudi journalist’s last words
Slain Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi repeatedly told his killers “I can’t breathe” during his final moments in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, CNN reports, quoting a source who read the transcript of an audio recording.
The report says Khashoggi recognized one of the men, General Maher Mutreb, who told him: “You are coming back”.
Khashoggi replied: “You can’t do that…people are waiting outside.”
Khashoggi was last seen on October 2 entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, and efforts to get his whereabouts prompted conflicting accounts of information from Saudi Arabian officials, sparking a worldwide outcry.
Saudi officials had initially said the journalist left the consulate unharmed, but later – under intense pressure to explain Khashoggi’s whereabouts – admitted for the first time that he was dead. They said he died from a fist-fight.
His body has however not been found yet.
The CNN report says the audio transcript outlined Khashoggi was tortured, as he pleaded for his life.
The slain journalist repeated “I can’t breathe” at least three times. The transcript then used singular words to describe the noises, including “scream”, “gasping”, “saw”, and “cutting”.
One of the voices from the audio clip was identified in the transcript by Turkish authorities as Dr. Salah al-Tubaigy, a forensic expert specialised in autopsies attached to the Saudi Ministry of Interior, CNN reported.
Tubaigy tells others to plug in earphones or listen to music like him, the CNN source said.
Earlier this year, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Khashoggi “was a victim of a brutal killing.” According to him, the killing was “planned” days in advance according to a “roadmap” set up by Saudis.
U.S. president Donald Trump last month declined to hear the audio recording, saying he already had information on what went on so he did not have to listen to it.
“I don’t want to hear the tape, no reason for me to hear the tape,” Trump said
“I know everything that went on in the tape without having to hear it … It was very violent, very vicious and terrible.”
