Saudi prosecution seeks death penalty for Khashoggi’s murderers

Saudi Arabia’s prosecution will demand that those involved in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi be sentenced to death, a spokesman for the country’s public prosecutor said at a press conference in Riyadh, which was broadcast live by Sky News Arabia.

"We will demand that five defendants, who gave orders to kill Khashoggi, as well as crime committers, be sentenced to death," he said, adding that the order had been issued by the head of a group established for bringing Khashoggi back to the country. "Charges in the Khashoggi murder case have been brought against 11 people, while a total of 21 were detained for investigation," he noted.

The Saudi prosecution confirmed that Khashoggi had been killed in the country’s consulate in Istanbul. His body was later dismembered and taken away.

Khashoggi, known for his criticism of Saudi Arabia's policies, left his home country and moved to the United States in 2017. He worked for The Washington Post, analyzing the situation in Saudi Arabia and the country's foreign policy. On October 20, Saudi authorities announced that the journalist died in a fight in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. The international community condemned Khashoggi’s murder and called for a transparent investigation.