Saudi court sentences five people to death over Khashoggi murder

Saudi court has sentenced five people to death over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, but two top figures investigated over the murder have been exonerated.

“The court issued death sentences on five men who directly took part in the killing,” the Saudi Public’s prosecutor said in a statement on Monday.

Deputy intelligence chief Ahmed al-Assiri oversaw the Washington Post columnist’s killing in the Kingdom’s consulate of Istanbul in October 2018 and that he was advised by the royal court’s media czar Saud al-Qahtani, said Saudi prosecutor.

However, Qahtani was investigated but not charged of any accusation “due to sufficient evidence” and Assiri was investigated and charged but eventually acquitted on the same grounds, the statement said.

There were 11 unnamed peopled indicted in the case, out of which, five were sentence to death, three face jail terms totally 24 years, and the others were exculpated.

The prosecutor said that the Riyadh court held a total of nine sessions attended by representatives of the international community as well as Khashoggi’s relatives.

“We found that Khashoggi’s murder was not premeditated,” the statement said.