Death Sentence for 5 Accused in the Death of Journalist Jamal Khashoggi
Mohammed Bin Salman, the crown prince of Saudi Arabia has drawn criticism for the killing of the journalist because the agents, who were involved in the killing, directly worked for him.
A court in Saudi Arabia has finally sentenced 5 people to death for the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was murdered inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul last year by a team of Saudi agents. In this case 3 others were sentenced to prison.
Mohammed Bin Salman, the crown prince of Saudi Arabia has drawn criticism for the killing of the journalist because the agents, who were involved in the killing, directly worked for him. But the kingdom has time and again denied that Prince Mohammed had any involvement and knowledge of the operation.
The investigation of the Saudi attorney general has also not found any involvement of the crown prince’s former top adviser, Saud al-Qahtani. However, the United States has alleged Al-Qahtani has a role in the operation. The court also ruled out the involvement of Mohammed al-Otaibi, the Saudi consul general in Istanbul at the time of the murder. After the verdict, he was released from the prison.
So far, the court holds nine sessions and concluded that there was no intention of murder by those found guilty in the case. The trials of the accused in the case were carried out in full secrecy, with only a handful of diplomats and members of the Khashoggi’s family were allowed to attend the sessions. In total, 11 people were on trial in the kingdom for the death of Khashoggi.
The office of the attorney general also said it will also look into the verdicts, to see whether they can move ahead in the appellate court. The three suspects in the case who face prison were sentenced to a total of 24 years. Another three who were on the trial were released after they are found not guilty.
Agnes Callamard, a UN special rapporteur and the one who has authored an inquiry into Khashoggi’s killing, has said the search for justice must not be left only to the Saudi judicial system, which is “so vulnerable to political interference.”
The killing of journalist Khashoggi has shocked the world and has drawn condemnation from the international community, including the United Nations.
Khashoggi had walked into the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on the morning of October 2018 to collect some documents that would allow him to marry his Turkish fiancée, Hatice Cengiz. But he never walked out of the consulate and his body was never found.