Jamal Khashoggi’s fiancee on Monday slammed a Saudi court verdict that saw five of 11 people sentenced to death in the murder of the Washington Post columnist, calling the outcome “unacceptable.”
“The decision is too unlawful to be acceptable. It is unacceptable,” Hatice Cengiz told the Associated Press in a text message, as questions linger outside Riyadh about Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman’s culpability in the grisly death.
Meanwhile, one of Khashoggi’s sons welcomed the verdict, saying justice had been served.
“Fairness of the judiciary is based on two principles, justice, and swift litigation,” Salah Khashoggi, who lives in the kingdom, said on Twitter.
“Today, justice was served to the children of… Jamal Khashoggi. We affirm our confidence in the Saudi judiciary at all levels as it ruled in our favor and achieved justice,” he added.
Jamal Khashoggi, a royal family insider-turned-critic, was killed and dismembered at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2, 2018, when he went there to pick up documents ahead of his nuptials.
The operation involved 15 agents sent from Riyadh, officials in Ankara have said. His remains were never found. Bin Salman has said he bears responsibility “because it happened under my watch,” but without his knowledge.
Of the 11 people indicted in the case, five were sentenced to death, three face jail terms totaling 24 years, and the others were acquitted, the public prosecutor said Monday.
Salah has previously said he had “full confidence” in the judicial system and slammed opponents he said were seeking to exploit the case.
In April, the Washington Post reported that Khashoggi’s children, including Salah, had received multimillion-dollar homes and were being paid thousands of dollars a month as compensation by authorities.
But Salah rejected the report, denying discussing a financial settlement with the Saudi government.
Both the CIA and a UN special envoy have directly linked bin Salman, the kingdom’s de facto ruler, to the murder, a charge the kingdom denies.
Source: New York Post
Vanguard News