One of the sons of murdered Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi has posted a statement on his Twitter account saying his family forgives the people who killed his father.
"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," Saleh Khashoggi wrote. "Therefore, we the sons of the Martyr Jamal Khashoggi announce that we pardon those who killed our father, seeking reward God almighty.”
Death sentences in Saudi Arabia can be commuted, if the family pardons the killer. It was not immediately clear if that would happen in this case.
Five men were sentenced to death in December in connection with Khashoggi’s death.
Agnes Callamard, a United Nations special rapporteur, said the secretive Saudi trial was the "antithesis of justice."
Khashoggi, who wrote for The Washington Post, was a leading critic of the Saudi government.
He went into the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October 2018 and never came out. He had gone there to retrieve documents for his wedding, as his fiancée waited for him outside.
It is widely believed that Khashoggi was dismembered in the consulate and many analysts think Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the gruesome attack. The prince initially denied any involvement, but eventually said he took “full responsibility” as the killing happened “under his watch.
There was a worldwide outcry from governments and rights groups after reports of the journalist’s grisly death emerged.
