Saudi sentences five to death for Khashoggi murder

Box 1

Killing caused global uproar

*Journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed in Saudi consulate in Istanbul last year

*The killing caused global uproar and US imposed sanctions on some Saudis

Box 2

Two senior figures freed after probe

Last November, the Saudi prosecutor said Saud al-Qahtani, a former high-profile Saudi royal adviser, had discussed Khashoggi’s activities before he entered the Saudi consulate with the team which went on to kill him. The prosecutor had said Qahtani acted in coordination with deputy intelligence chief Ahmed al-Asiri, who he said had ordered Khashoggi’s repatriation from Turkey and that the lead negotiator on the ground then decided to kill him. Both men were dismissed from their positions but while Asiri went on trial, Qahtani did not. On Monday Shalaan said Asiri has been tried and released due to insufficient evidence, and Qahtani had been investigated but was not charged and had been released.

Riyadh, December 23

Saudi Arabia on Monday sentenced five persons to death and three others to jail terms totalling 24 years over the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul in October last year.

Saudi Deputy Public Prosecutor and spokesman Shalaan al-Shalaan, reading out the verdict in the trial, said the court dismissed charges against the remaining three of the 11 people that had been on trial, finding them not guilty.

“The investigation showed that the killing was not premeditated … The decision was taken at the spur of the moment,” Shalaan said.

Khashoggi was a US resident and critic of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom’s de facto ruler. He was last seen at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2, 2018, where he had gone to receive papers ahead of his wedding. His body was reportedly dismembered and removed from the building, and his remains have not been found.

The killing caused a global uproar, tarnishing the crown prince’s image. The CIA and some western governments have said they believe Prince Mohammed ordered the killing, but Saudi officials say he had no role. Eleven Saudi suspects were put on trial over his death in secretive proceedings in Riyadh. — Reuters