Months after Jamal Khashoggi’s
sons pardoned the killers of their father, life sentences were issued in the
name of the accused.

The Khashoggi case
turned out to be one of the most important news headlined in Saudi Arabia, grabbing
international attention for months. The latest in its proceedings includes the
final verdict of the killing of Jamal
Khashoggi. In addition, sons of the victim have forgiven the men who
planted and executed the murder, hence eliminating all chances of the defendant
being executed.

Source: Middle East Monitor

According to the Saudi
State television, five of these murderers have been sentenced for up to 20 years in prison, two
of them are sentenced for 17 years, and one of them will serve a 10 years sentence.
Of course, things would be different had they been given a death sentence –
they’d be publicly beheaded and punished for their sins. But since when did we
start living in a world that was fair and just?

The series of
complications began back in December when a Saudi court sentenced five of them
a life sentence instead of its usual punishment: beheading. This was ruled
considering the brutal murder of Mr. Khashoggi that took place in October 2018
inside Istanbul’s Saudi Consulate, after which the three prosecuted
received life sentences.

It’s strange to know
that a case that had global attention was shrouded in secrecy. No identities
were revealed – from the names of the suspects to the foreign diplomats, it was
all done quietly. This was the time when all human rights groups were
criticizing the way this case was being handled. They claimed that the court
was protecting the real culprits and only the low-positioned agents were being
prosecuted.

Khashoggi was a renowned journalist who flew from the kingdom, miles away from the power of
Mohammad bin Salman, to write columns for The Washington Post.

Source: Vox

The verdict was
announced in December and suited the narrative of the royal court. The court
wanted the world to be fooled by their made-up story that this killing was a
result of a last-minute decision made by the on-ground agents.

The evidence was
already out and Turkish authorities confirmed it as well as the
United Nations experts. It is now verified that the agents particularly traveled to Istanbul
to carry out this mission – they were well-prepared with tools and everything.

The highly classified
case ended with the sons pardoning the killers and the accused serving 20 years
of life sentence. However, how do people who were actually supposed to serve
the death penalty get away so easily?

Back in May, one of Khashoggi’s
sons had tweeted a verse from the Quran suggesting that he had forgiven the
killers and that he hopes to be rewarded by God for the noble deed. But there
are whispers that the family was coerced to do so as they reside in Saudi
Arabia – where no one speaks against the crown.

Agnes Callamard is a
United Nations expert on extrajudicial executions. She investigated this case
closely and stipulated that the Saudi authorities are simply going around
circles, playing dummy to the well-rehearsed parody of justice written by the
authorities at the highest levels of the state.

She urged an international
investigation as she was sure that someone from the highest of the hierarchy was
involved.

Recently, she tweeted
that this case is based on no moral and legal legitimacy, following the trial that wasn’t transparent or fair.

It’s important that
people find out who was responsible for this brutal dismemberment of Khashoggi because it’s clear from the evidence that more than eight people were involved.
We must find out the real culprits who planned and ordered it.

This entire case has
done one thing for sure: It has damaged the reputation of
the Saudi Prince Mohammad bin Salman.

We hope that one day
justice is served.