A demonstrator holds a poster with a picture of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi outside the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, Oct. 25, 2018. Photo: Reuters / Osman Orsal / File.

The United Nations human rights office said on Friday it could not assess the fairness of a trial taking place in Saudi Arabia related to the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, but that in any case it was “not sufficient.”

Spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani, asked about reports that a Saudi prosecutor had sought the death sentence for five suspects linked to the Oct. 2 killing, reiterated the office’s call for an independent investigation “with international involvement.”

The UN rights office always opposed the death penalty, she added.