Journalist Jamal Khashoggi Murder: Saudi Court Overturns 5 Death Sentences; Verdict Criticised

A Saudi court overturned five death sentences over journalist Jamal Khashoggi's murder and jailed eight defendants to between seven and 20 years, state media reported according to AFP.

This comes after Khashoggi's sons announced they had "pardoned" the killers, meaning a less severe punishment in a case that saw international outrage.

Verdict criticised

The verdict, which drew fresh condemnation from campaigners, underscores Saudi efforts to draw a line under the October 2018 murder as the kingdom seeks to reboot its international image ahead of November's G20 summit in Riyadh.

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"Five of the convicts were given 20 years in prison and another three were jailed for 7-10 years," the official Saudi Press Agency said, citing a spokesman for the public prosecutor.

None of the defendants were named in what was described as the final court ruling on the murder, which tarnished the global reputation of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Appalling crime

Khashoggi -- a royal family insider turned critic -- was killed and dismembered at the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul in October 2018, in a case that tarnished the reputation of the de facto ruler Prince Mohammed.

AFP

Khashoggi, a 59-year-old critic of the crown prince, was strangled and his body cut into pieces by a 15-man Saudi squad inside the consulate, according to Turkish officials. His remains have not been found.

Riyadh has described the murder as a "rogue" operation, but both the CIA and a United Nations special envoy have directly linked Prince Mohammed to the killing, a charge the kingdom vehemently denies.

AFP

Agnes Callamard, the UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, slammed Monday's ruling as "one more act today in this parody of justice".

"These verdicts carry no legal or moral legitimacy," Callamard wrote on Twitter. "They came at the end of a process which was neither fair, nor just, or transparent."