Turkey, a rapporteur of the United Nations and human rights organizations, condemned the provisions announced by the Saudi Public Prosecution on Monday, which acquitted three prominent Saudi officials of the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at his country's consulate in Istanbul, while death sentences and imprisonment were issued against eight unidentified people.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman said that the rulings issued by the Saudi judiciary are far from meeting the aspirations of Ankara and the international community to highlight all aspects of the Khashoggi crime.
A spokesman for the Justice and Development Party, Omar Glick, described the provisions as far from reassuring the Turkish people and the international community. Glick said that the court's decision that the crime was not masterminded and that it was the result of a real-time rage was unreasonable, stressing that the crime was planned in advance.
The head of the Turkish Presidential Communications Department Fakhreddin Alton said that the Saudi court’s decision on the case of Khashoggi’s death “is a mockery of the intelligence of the entire world,” adding that Ankara will continue its efforts to uncover all details of Khashoggi’s death.
| Khadija Genghis: Sentences in Saudi Arabia an attempt to hastily close the case of Khashoggi’s murder (Al-Jazeera) |
Khashoggi's fiancee
Khadija Genghis, the fiancée of Jamal Khashoggi, told Anadolu that the decisions issued by Khashoggi "are an attempt to hastily close the case and execute those who have information in the case of the assassination of her fiancé." Genghis added that the Saudi Public Prosecution Office decided the case without any judicial process, and did not announce the defendants' statements, which were kept secret.
A spokesman for the Saudi Public Prosecution had told a press conference that rulings had been issued on the acquittal of Saud al-Qahtani, former adviser to the Saudi crown prince, and the Saudi consul in Istanbul, Muhammad al-Otaibi, and Major General Ahmed Asiri, former deputy director of intelligence, explaining that no charges had been brought against these three for Khashoggi’s crime, and it was released About them.
On the other hand, the Saudi Public Prosecution announced the issuance of death sentences against five people and imprisonment for three terms totaling 24 years. He did not reveal the names of the convicts, and the prosecution denied the existence of a prior intention to kill.
Just a year ago, US intelligence published a report revealing the existence of correspondence between # Saud_ Al-Qahtani and Muhammad bin Salman before, during and after the assassination of Khashoggi. |
British Foreign Secretary Dominic Rap asked Riyadh to ensure that all those responsible for this crime are held accountable and not repeat, adding in a statement on the rulings issued that the journalist's family "deserves to see justice be achieved in the case of his brutal killing," stressing his country's principled position rejecting the death penalty in all circumstances.
Ridiculous
The United Nations Rapporteur for Extrajudicial Executions, Anees Kalamar, considered the verdicts of those accused of Khashoggi’s murder ridiculous, adding that “the masterminds of Khashoggi’s crime are not only free, but almost unaffected by the investigation and trial, and this is the opposite of justice.”
"The verdicts issued today are far from achieving justice," Human Rights Watch spokesperson Ahmed Benchemsi said in an interview with Al-Jazeera, explaining that the mystery surrounding this case has been shrouded in secrecy from its inception until now.
Lynn Maalouf, director of Middle East research at Amnesty International, said the rulings in the Khashoggi case "are used for bleaching and do not bring justice to the late and his relatives," noting that the trial in Saudi Arabia was unfair.
The human rights organization stressed that justice in the Khashoggi case can only be achieved by conducting an independent and impartial investigation.
The American position
In contrast, a senior administration official said that Washington considered the rulings in the Khashoggi case "an important step" to hold those responsible for the crime accountable. The official, who asked not to be named, added that America urges Saudi Arabia to pursue a judicial process that is fair and transparent.
Fairness of the judiciary is based on two principles, fairness and speedy litigation, so there is neither injustice nor procrastination. Today, we are fair to the children of the deceased, God willing, Jamal Khashoggi. We affirm our confidence in the Saudi judiciary at all levels, that we are fair and that we achieve justice. Thank God and thanks to him. - salah khashoggi (@salahkhashoggi) December 23, 2019 |
He pointed out the position of Salah Khashoggi, son of Jamal Khashoggi - who is residing in Saudi Arabia - as he tweeted, saying that the rulings issued by the Saudi Attorney General did fair to the family and achieved justice, expressing his confidence in the Saudi judiciary.
It is noteworthy that the Turkish authorities accused its Saudi counterpart of sending a team of 15 people - including security officials - to kill Khashoggi in Istanbul after being lured to the consulate. Ankara has demanded that the accused be extradited for trial in Turkey, but the Saudi authorities have refused this and announced an investigation into the case and the trial of those involved in it, according to Saudi law.
The CIA and governments in other western countries also said that they believed that it was Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman who had issued orders to kill Khashoggi, which was repeatedly denied by the Riyadh authorities.