FRI 29 - 3 - 2024
 
Date: Sep 8, 2020
Source: The Daily Star
Saudi Arabia sentences 8 people to prison in Khashoggi murder case
RIYADH: A Saudi court Monday overturned five death sentences over journalist Jamal Khashoggi's murder in a final ruling that jailed eight defendants to between seven and 20 years, state media reported.

"Five of the convicts were given 20 years in prison and another three were jailed for 7-10 years," the official Saudi Press Agency said, citing a spokesman for the public prosecutor.

None of the defendants were named in what was described as the final court ruling on the killing which had sparked an international outcry.

The verdict came after Khashoggi's sons said in May they had "pardoned" the killers, a move condemned as a "parody of justice" by a UN expert.


The family's pardon spared the lives of five unnamed people sentenced to death over the 2018 murder in a December court ruling, which was lambasted by human rights groups after two top aides to the crown prince were exonerated.

Khashoggi -- a royal family insider turned critic -- was killed and dismembered at the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul in October 2018, in a case that tarnished the reputation of de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Khashoggi, a 59-year-old critic of the crown prince, was strangled and his body cut into pieces by a 15-man Saudi squad inside the consulate, according to Turkish officials. His remains have not been found.

Riyadh has described the murder as a "rogue" operation, but both the CIA and a United Nations special envoy have directly linked Prince Mohammed to the killing, a charge the kingdom vehemently denies.


 
Readers Comments (0)
Add your comment

Enter the security code below*

 Can't read this? Try Another.
 
Related News
Khashoggi fiancee demands punishment for Saudi prince
US defense secretary calls Saudi crown prince, reaffirms strategic ties
US seeks fallback Saudi bases in case of Iran tensions
Saudi Arabia to put women’s rights activist on trial
Saudi dissidents form pro-democracy political group
Related Articles
For U.S.-Saudi ties to thaw, MBS needs to answer on Khashoggi
Fighting 'Radical Islamic Terrorism' Begins with Saudi Arabia
MBS and May: Partnerships, policy and progress
Crown prince performs shock therapy on Saudi Arabia
A door opens in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Copyright 2024 . All rights reserved