Saudi Arabian courts sentences 8 in connection with Khashoggi's murder: Report

Prior to his death, Jamal Khashoggi had written critically of the crown prince in multiple columns for the Washington Post

A Saudi Arabian court sentenced eight people to between seven and 20 years in prison in connection with the 2018 killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi on September 7, local news reported as per a Reuters report.

According to the report, five people were handed 20-year prison sentences, one person was sentenced to 10 years and two people were handed seven-year sentences.

The family of slain Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi announced Friday they have forgiven his Saudi killers, giving legal reprieve to the five government agents convicted of his murder who'd been sentenced to execution, according to a PTI report on May 22, 2020.

"We, the sons of the martyr Jamal Khashoggi, announce that we forgive those who killed our father as we seek reward from God Almighty,” one of the sons of Khashoggi said on Twitter.

Prior to his death, Khashoggi had written critically of the crown prince in multiple columns for the Washington Post and had been living in exile for about a year, fearing he would be detained if he returned to Saudi Arabia as part of a wider crackdown on writers, activists and critics.