Saudi Arabia’s Public Prosecution issues final verdict in Khashoggi case
Saudi Arabia’s Public Prosecution issued a verdict against eight people for their involvement in the murder of the late journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on Monday.
Khashoggi – a well-known Saudi Arabian journalist – was murdered on October 20, 2018 at the Kingdom’s consulate in the Turkish city of Istanbul. He had been visiting the consulate to complete paperwork related to his divorce.
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Five people were sentenced to 20 years in prison for their involvement in the murder, SPA cited the prosecution as saying on Monday. The three other defendants were given a prison sentence of seven to ten years.
The verdict is final and must be enforced, the prosecution added, according to SPA.
The journalist’s family had in May issued a statement saying that they pardoned their father’s killers.
Under the Kingdom’s law, the victim’s family has the right to pardon or grant clemency to the perpetrator. Once ratified, this pardon prevents the perpetrator from receiving the death penalty.
However, the perpetrator will still be punished for the crime they have been found guilty of committing and a sentence will be issued under public law.
Around the time of his death, Khashoggi had been living in the United States and was working as a columnist for the Washington Post.
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