Saudi court issues final verdicts in Khashoggi killing

Posted: Sep 7, 2020 / 10:14 AM CDT / Updated: Sep 7, 2020 / 10:15 AM CDT

FILE – In this Oct. 2, 2019 file photo, a picture of slain Saudi journalist Jamal Kashoggi, is displayed during a ceremony near the Saudi Arabia consulate in Istanbul, marking the one-year anniversary of his death. Saudi Arabia’s state television says final verdicts have been issued in the case of slain Washington Post columnist and Saudi critic Jamal Khashoggi after his family announced pardons that spared five from execution. The Riyadh Criminal Court issued final verdicts Monday, Sept. 7, 2020, against eight people. The court ordered a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for five, with one receiving a 10-year sentence and two others being ordered to serve seven years in prison. The trial was widely criticized by rights groups and an independent U.N. investigator, who noted that no senior officials nor anyone suspected of ordering the killing was found guilty. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis, File)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) – Saudi Arabia’s state television says final verdicts were issued in the case of slain Washington Post columnist and Saudi critic Jamal Khashoggi after his son announced pardons that spared five from execution.

The court issued final verdicts Monday against eight people, ordering a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for the five. Another received a 10-year sentence, and two others were ordered to serve seven years in prison.

The trial was widely criticized, including by an independent U.N. investigator who noted that no senior officials nor anyone suspected of ordering the killing was found guilty. The killing cast a pall over Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, who has denied involvement.