Khashoggi sons forgive murder of their father

The brutal murder of Jamal Khashoggi caused horror worldwide. But now the Saudi journalist's sons have forgiven his murderers - and could thus save them from the death penalty.

Riyadh (dpa) - The family of the murdered government-critical Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi said the perpetrators forgave.

"We, the sons of the martyr Jamal Khashoggi, declare that we forgive those who killed our father," Kashoggi's oldest son Salah wrote on Twitter on Friday.

This step can mean that the perpetrators escape the death penalty. Khashoggi's Turkish fiancee Hatice Cengiz and human rights activists reacted with harsh criticism because they fear that the real culprits will go unpunished.

The explanation comes shortly before the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan this weekend. Traditionally, amnesties are announced on this occasion in many Muslim countries. Salah Khashoggi quoted from the Koran that those who forgive and compensate may hope for God's reward.

In December, a Saudi criminal court sentenced five men to death in an internationally criticized trial in the Kashoggi case, and three suspects were given heavy prison sentences. A total of eleven people were on trial. The names of the accused should remain under lock and key until the judgments are final. Saudi analyst Ali Schihabi concluded on Friday that the perpetrators were now avoiding the death penalty because the family had the right to be forgiven under Islamic law (Sharia) in Saudi Arabia.

Khashoggi was killed on October 2, 2018 at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul by a special commando from Riyadh when he wanted to collect papers for the wedding with his partner Hatice Cengiz. The Saudi government admitted the murder under international pressure. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman denied having ordered the killing himself. In the investigation, however, the traces led into the immediate vicinity of the monarch.

Hatice Cengiz wrote on Twitter on Friday that this hideous murder had no statute of limitations. Nobody has the right to forgive his murderers. The head of the human rights organization Human Rights Watch, Kenneth Roth, tweeted that one could only imagine what "combination of bribes and threats" had led the sons to forgive their father's brutal murderers.

The UN special rapporteur on the case, Agnès Callamard, said Saudi Arabia has repeatedly demonstrated that the country does not want justice in the Khashoggi case. "This is the last piece of the impunity puzzle, the last act of a parody of justice that is played in front of the world." The killers would roam freely. Callamard had concluded in an investigation report that there were credible indications of a possible personal responsibility of the Crown Prince Mohammed and other senior representatives of Saudi Arabia.

Salah Khashoggi, who lives in Saudi Arabia, had previously said on behalf of the family about the murder. After the fact, King Salman and the Crown Prince condoled him on a visit to the palace. Last fall, Salah Khashoggi then accused opponents of Saudi Arabia of using his father's death for their own purposes.

Tweet Salah Khashoggi

Tweet Agnes Callamard

Tweet Hatice Cengiz