Jamal Khashoggi's son Salah says family 'forgives' killers
The son of murdered Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi has
released a statement via Twitter forgiving his father's killers.
In the statement, posted on Friday, Salah Khashoggi said his
family pardons those who took the reporter's life in 2018 when he visited Saudi
Arabia's consulate in Istanbul.
"In this blessed night of the blessed month (of
Ramadan) we remember God's saying: If a person forgives and makes
reconciliation, his reward is due from Allah."
"Therefore, we the sons of the Martyr Jamal Khashoggi
announce that we pardon those who killed our father, seeking reward God
almighty" he added.
Khashoggi was last seen at the Saudi consulate where he had
gone to get the necessary documents for his wedding. His body was dismembered
and removed from the building and his remains have not been found.
Under Islamic law, death sentences in Saudi Arabia can be
commuted if the victim's family pardons the perpetrator, but it is not clear
whether that will happen in this case.
Hatice Cengiz, Khashoggi's fiance, wrote on Twitter on Friday
that "nobody has the right to pardon the killers".
Yahya Assiri, the head of UK-based Saudi rights group ALQST,
echoed Cengiz's reaction.
"The murder of Jamal Khashoggi is not a family case, it
is not a mistake in a normal context!" he wrote on Twitter, saying
Khashoggi's murder was not due to a personal disagreement.
"The authorities killed him because of his political
work," Assiri said. "His case is political, so keep silent!"
Assiri shared a statement signed by dozens of other Saudi
activists and politicians, refuting what they called the repackaging of Khashoggi's
murder by the Saudi authorities into a familial one.
"We reject the use of Saudi authorities of some of
Khashoggi's family members to whitewash the country's judiciary and dwarfing
Khashoggi's case," the statement said, adding that Khashoggi's family or
at least some members of it do not have their full freedom to say what they
want.
"Secondly, and more importantly, the fact is that the
issue does not concern Jamal Khashoggi's family only, but rather is an issue of
public opinion as Khashoggi was a political writer who criticised the political
system and was killed for that."
The murder caused a global uproar. Some Western governments,
as well as the CIA, said they believed Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS)
ordered the killing.
Saudi officials say he had no role, although in September
2019 MBS indicated some personal accountability, saying the grisly killing
"happened under my watch".
Saudi Arabia sentenced five people to death and three to
jail over Khashoggi's murder last December. The suspects were put on trial in
secretive proceedings in the capital Riyadh.
The trials were condemned by the United Nations and rights
groups. UN Special Rapporteur for extrajudicial summary or arbitrary executions
Agnes Callamard accused Saudi Arabia of making a "mockery" of justice
by allowing the masterminds of the 2018 killing to go free.
However, Salah Khashoggi said of the December verdict:
"It has been fair to us and that justice has been achieved."
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