| schema:articleBody
| - Nearly two years after journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed inside Saudi Arabia's Istanbul consulate, death sentences for five people found guilty of his murder have been scrapped. Eight unidentified people were handed jail sentences of between seven and 20 years. Here is a summary of an affair that shocked the world. The Washington Post contributor, who took refuge in the United States in 2017, is recorded on camera entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2, 2018. His fiancee Hatice Cengiz waits outside, but he never emerges. On October 5, powerful Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman says Khashoggi is not inside the consulate and: "We have nothing to hide." A source close to the Turkish government says the next day police believe he was murdered inside the premises "by a team especially sent to Istanbul and who left the same day". Riyadh calls the claim "baseless". On October 7, The Washington Post cites a US official as saying Khashoggi's body "was likely dismembered, removed in boxes and flown out of the country". The New York Times says a suspect in the disappearance was identified by Turkey as being from Prince Mohammed's inner circle. Three other suspects are linked to his security team. On October 20, Riyadh finally admits Khashoggi was killed inside the consulate, claiming this was after a "brawl". Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir tells Fox News on October 21 there had been a "tremendous mistake" and those responsible acted "outside the scope of their authority". Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on October 23 says Khashoggi's "savage" murder was carried out by a 15-person team from Riyadh. On October 24, the crown prince says the affair is "very painful for all Saudis, it's a repulsive incident". On November 2, Erdogan says the order for the murder came from "the highest levels" of the Saudi government. On November 15, Washington announces sanctions against 17 Saudis allegedly involved. Germany, France and Canada follow suit. The Washington Post on November 16 quotes anonymous sources as saying the CIA had concluded the crown prince was involved in the murder plot. But President Donald Trump says the CIA has "nothing definitive". On December 4, Republican senators say after a CIA briefing that they firmly believe the crown prince was complicit. On December 13, the Senate adopts a resolution holding him responsible. On June 19, 2019, independent UN special rapporteur Agnes Callamard says there is "credible evidence" linking the crown prince to the killing. She calls for an international criminal investigation. Riyadh rejects her comments as baseless. On July 3, 2020 an Istanbul court puts 20 Saudis on trial in absentia, including two close to the crown prince. Among the accused are two identified by the Turkish investigators as commanders of the operation: Ahmed al-Assiri and Saud al-Qahtani. On September 7, a Saudi court overturns the five death sentences handed out in December over the murder, jailing eight unidentified people to between seven and 20 years. The final court verdict comes after Khashoggi's sons said in May that they had "pardoned" the killers. Hatice Cengiz, Khashoggi's fiancee, brands the ruling a "farce". UN special rapporteur Agnes Callamard says the verdict was a "parody of justice" without "legal or moral legitimacy." acm/jmy/pjm
|
![[RDF Data]](/fct/images/sw-rdf-blue.png)
![[cxml]](/fct/images/cxml_doc.png)
![[csv]](/fct/images/csv_doc.png)
![[text]](/fct/images/ntriples_doc.png)
![[turtle]](/fct/images/n3turtle_doc.png)
![[ld+json]](/fct/images/jsonld_doc.png)
![[rdf+json]](/fct/images/json_doc.png)
![[rdf+xml]](/fct/images/xml_doc.png)
![[atom+xml]](/fct/images/atom_doc.png)
![[html]](/fct/images/html_doc.png)