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The fiancee of murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi has been put under 24-hour protection, Turkish state media announced.

Istanbul’s governorate announced on Sunday that it had issued a protection order for Hatice Cengiz, amid growing fears for her safety.

Part of the order means the Turkish national will receive around-the-clock police protection from the Istanbul police department.

Cengiz was quick to voice concerns shortly after Khashoggi’s disappearance.

"Three days since his disappearance… Here I ask the Turkish government, as any normal person would, 'where' is Mr Jamal? And I ask the Saudi authorities, where is your citizen?" Hatice Cengiz tweeted just days after Khashoggi’s disappearance at the start of the month.

When it began to emerge that Khashoggi was indeed dead, she said she refused to believe the reports until she saw evidence for herself:

"Jamal is not dead! I don't believe he's been killed!" Cengiz .

She later explained that was "waiting for official confirmation from the [Turkish] government".

Saudi journalist and Washington Post contributor Khashoggi vanished on 2 October after entering the consulate to obtain documents for his upcoming marriage. Saudi pro-government media have since waged relentless attacks on his fiancee as she was the first to raise the alarm about his disappearance.

After a fortnight of denials, Saudi authorities admitted on Saturday that Khashoggi, a prominent critic of powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was killed inside the consulate.

However the kingdom faced a growing chorus of incredulity over its belated explanation that he died in a "brawl", as world powers demand answers and the whereabouts of his body.

British and French officials denounced the latest Saudi explanation as insufficient. Canada's foreign minister, Chrystia Freeland, said the Saudi version lacked "consistency and credibility."

Several senior members of Trump's Republican Party, meanwhile, said they believed Prince Mohammed bin Salman was linked to the killing, and one called for a "collective" Western response if a link is proved.

US senator Rand Paul said on Sunday that the crown prince should be "replaced", calling Riyadh's explanation of Jamal Khashoggi's death "insulting".