Funeral prayers held in Istanbul for slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi

Funeral prayers were held Friday in Istanbul for journalist Jamal Khashoggi more than a month after his slaying at the Saudi Consulate.

Khashoggi's friends, Turkish politicians and others attended funeral prayers at Istanbul's Fatih Mosque.

The prayers, held "in absentia" because The Washington Post columnist's remains have not been found, came a day after Saudi Arabia announced it would seek the death penalty against five men suspected in the killing.

The announcement failed to appease Turkey, which has piled increasing pressure on Saudi Arabia, but maybe enough for some of Riyadh's Western allies to move on and press for key demands.

Mourners said they would continue to seek justice for Khashoggi and press for those who ordered the killing to be punished.

Khashoggi had gone for a scheduled visit to the consulate on Oct. 2 to obtain documents for his upcoming marriage while his Turkish fiancée waited outside.

Saudi Arabia had insisted for weeks that he had walked out of the consulate, before changing its account to say he died in a brawl.

Last month, Saudi Arabia acknowledged that Turkish evidence indicates that Khashoggi's killing was premeditated, shifting its explanation in an apparent effort to ease international outrage over the death.

Washington Post Publisher and CEO Fred Ryan said many questions about the killing have gone unanswered.

"From the start, the Saudi 'investigation' has been an effort to shield those ultimately responsible for this heinous crime when there is every reason to believe that it was authorized at the highest levels of the Saudi government," Ryan said in a statement Thursday.

"The U.S. government should be demanding an independent investigation that gets to the truth about the murder of an innocent journalist."

(With inputs from agencies.)