SHAFAQNA- The Attorney General of Saudi Arabia announced the closure of the murder case of a prominent Saudi journalist at his country’s consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, with the issuance of a prison sentence for a number of defendants in the case.
The spokesman of the Attorney General’s Office announced this evening (Monday) that the final verdicts in the case of the murder of “Jamal Khashoggi”, a prominent journalist critic of the Saudi regime’s policies at his country’s consulate in the city of Istanbul in western Turkey in October 2018, have been issued . According to a spokesman for the Saudi Attorney General’s Office, the Riyadh Criminal Court issued verdicts for eight people convicted in the case of Khashoggi’s murder after the end of the private aspect of the crime because his family waived their rights. These verdicts are finalized and enforceable based on the provisions of the criminal procedure system of this country.
Accordingly, the Riyadh Criminal Court sentenced eight people convicted in the murder of the late Saudi journalist to a total of 124 years in prison, five of whom were sentenced to 20 years in prison and another to 10 years in prison and the other two were sentenced to seven years in prison. The spokesman for the Saudi Attorney General’s Office concluded by stating that according to the provisions of the Saudi criminal procedure system, with the issuance of the final verdicts in the murder case of the late journalist, the indictment in both its public and private aspects has been terminated .
Meanwhile, the Saudi Attorney General’s Office announced in December last year that the court in charge of the Khashoggi’s murder case had finally handed down its verdicts after holding 10 hearings, in which five defendants were sentenced to death and six other defendants were sentenced to prison. However, more than three months ago, Salah Khashoggi, the eldest son of a well-known journalist critical of the Saudi regime’s policies, confirmed in a message on his Twitter account that he and his brothers had forgiven their father’s killer for the sake of God Almighty.
It should be noted that the United Nations accuses Saudi officials, specifically the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, of ordering the assassination of Khashoggi. However, the Saudi government has denied the allegations, claiming that his assassination was done individually and without any order from an official.
This news is originally published by Shafaqna Persian and translated by Shafaqna English