Protoday247 News Saudi Arabia has imposed gaol sentences on eight people for murdering journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a few months after his family forgiven the murderers of the deceased and decided to abolish the death penalty.
Khashoggi, a Saudi Crown Prince critic Mohammed bin Salman, was last seen at the Istanbul Saudi Consulate on October 2, 2018, where he had gone to get documentation for his upcoming wedding. His body was allegedly taken from the building and dismembered, and his remains were not identified. State media announced that five people were sentenced to 20 years in prison; One suspect was sentenced to 10 years, and seven-year sentences were handed down to two others for the shooting.
None of the defendants were named: at an earlier point of the December trial, the court sentenced five suspects to death and three sentenced them to probation, saying that the crime was not premeditated but carried out “at the spur of the moment.” Again, none of the defendants were identified.
Saudi officials denied that the prince had played a part in the murder while the prince indicated any personal responsibility in September 2019, saying “it happened on my watch.” In May, the slain journalist’s family said they were forgiving his killers, opening the way for a reprieve for the five suspects sentenced to death.
In Saudi Arabia, which lacks a codified legal structure and practices Islamic law, in some cases, amnesty from the family of a perpetrator may allow for a formal pardon and a stay of execution.