Sputnik - Canada could soon join the United States in imposing sanctions against the Saudi nationals accused of killing journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland told reporters.




Earlier in�the day, the US Treasury Department sanctioned 17 Saudis under�the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, including the head of�the Saudi Consulate in�Istanbul, where Khashoggi was killed on�October 2.
"Canada welcomes the US action. When it comes to�Canada, we also do have Magnitsky legislation in�place and that is a tool that we have found very useful in�our foreign policy," Freeland said on�Thursday, as�quoted by�CBC News. "And that is certainly something which in�the coming days Canada is actively considering."


Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist, disappeared on�October 2 after�entering the Saudi consulate in�Istanbul. Saudi officials initially claimed Khashoggi left the consulate unharmed, only to�later admit that he was killed on�the premises. The royal family has denied any role in�the incident.

The Saudi prosecutor general's office on�Thursday provided the kingdom's latest version of�events, saying in�a statement that Khashoggi was killed with�a drug injection and his body was dismembered and taken out�of the consulate. According to�the statement, 21 people have been detained in�the Khashoggi murder case, with�11 of�them charged. Prosecutors are demanding the death penalty for�five of�them.

On October 26, the Saudi prosecutor general acknowledged that the journalist's murder was premeditated. However, Riyadh maintains that the killing had nothing to�do with�the Saudi Royal family, describing it as�a rogue operation.