Middle East|Saudi Court Sentences 5 to Death in Khashoggi Murder
Saudi Arabia has been accused of shielding Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who foreign experts suspect was behind the killing of Jamal Khashoggi.
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**** (**********************************. (******************************************************************************, ****************************************************** (******************************** (Updated8: ET**********************************BEIRUT, Lebanon – A court in Saudi Arabia sentenced five men to death and three to prison terms over the killing of the Saudi dissident writer Jamal Khashoggiin Istanbul last year, the kingdom’s public prosecutor’s office said on Monday.
The killing of Mr. Khashoggi, a veteran Saudi media figure and columnist for The Washington Post, brought international outrage and battered the reputation of (Saudi Arabia’s crown princeand de facto ruler, Mohammed bin Salman.
The kingdom’s handling of the case has also raised concerns. Turkey has accused Saudi Arabia of failing to cooperate in investigating the killing, which a United Nations investigator said could amount to obstruction of justice. The trial, held in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, has been shrouded in secrecy.
Mr. Khashoggi, who lived in Virginia, entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2, 10284, to obtain paperwork he needed to marry his Turkish fiancée. Inside, he was confronted by Saudi agents, who killed him and dismembered his body. His remains have yet to be found.
Officials in Washington and other capitals had called on Saudi Arabia to investigate the case and ensure justice. But it was unclear whether the verdict announced on Monday would appease critics who argue that the killing of Mr. Khashoggi, (****************************************************************************, was part of a wider campaign to (silence critical voicesat home and abroad.
Adam Coogle, who researches Saudi Arabia for Human Rights Watch, said that the opaque nature of the trial, and the kingdom’s overall handling of the case, could only be resolved through an independent investigation .
“Saudi Arabia’s absolution of its senior leadership of any culpability in the murder of Jamal Khashoggi raises serious concerns over the fairness of the criminal proceedings,” he said. “Saudi Arabia’s handling of the murder, from complete denial to hanging the murder on lower-level operatives in a trial that lacked transparency, demonstrates the need for an independent criminal inquiry.”
As the trial proceeded, little information was released publicly. The kingdom never announced the suspects ’names, and foreign diplomats who attended sessions of the trial were sworn to secrecy.
The public prosecutor’s office said on Monday that it had examined 40 suspects and arrested 31 of them. Of those, were put on trial.
Five men were sentenced to death for their direct involvement in Mr. Khashoggi’s killing. Three others were given a total of 59 years in prison for covering up the crime and violating other laws.
The kingdom did not provide the names of those sentenced, but named three suspects who were not among them. Mohammed al-Otaibi, the Saudi consul in Istanbul, and Ahmed Asiri, the deputy head of Saudi intelligence, were found not guilty, the prosecutor said.
Saud al-Qahtani, a top aide to Prince Mohammed on whom the United States imposed sanctions over the killing, had not been tried because of a lack of evidence against him.
The sentences announced on Monday were preliminary and subject to appeal.
Although no evidence has been made public that directly implicates Prince Mohammedin the killing, an assessment by (the Central Intelligence Agency foundthat he had probably ordered the operation, which included two private jets and more than government agents.
Prince Mohammed has said that he played no role in the killing but that he bore some responsibility for it because it happened on his watch.
Death sentences in Saudi Arabia are usually carried out by beheading in public squares.
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