Eight unnamed Saudi nationals were found guilty in participating in the murder and dismemberment of dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a contributor to the Washington Post, concluding a trial held largely in secret, the Associated Press reports.
The eight were spared the death penalty, thanks to a pardon given by Khashoggi’s son who still resides in Saudi Arabia. Five were sentenced to a maximum of 20 years in prison; two to ten years maximum; and the last to seven years.
The announcement was made on Saudi state television. The eight suspects were not identified, and no details of the trial were announced.
Khashoggi was killed in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul while at an appointment to get paperwork so he could marry his Turkish fiance, who waited outside. Khashoggi never exited the building, but surveillance equipment recorded Saudis torturing and killing Khashoggi.
The murder was allegedly conducted at the instruction of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, a close friend of President Trump’s son-in-law and senior advisor Jared Kushner.