Trial of Khashoggi Murder Suspects Begins; Prosecutor Requests Death Penalty for Five

The Saudi prosecutor has requested the death penalty for five out of eleven suspects involved in the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, the Saudi opposition journalist. The official Saudi news agency reported on Thursday, January 3, that the trial of the suspects in Khashoggi's murder has begun today in Riyadh. The report adds that Saudi Arabia has sent letters to the Turkish Attorney General requesting the submission of evidence for the Riyadh court, but these letters have gone unanswered. Jamal Khashoggi, a columnist for the Washington Post, was murdered on October 2 at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, an event that quickly gained global attention. Eventually, Riyadh, which initially denied any incident involving Khashoggi, announced that its security forces had 'acted independently' in killing him. However, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan claims that the highest officials in Saudi Arabia and those in the leadership cadre of the country were involved in Khashoggi's murder and that justice must be served against them. Meanwhile, Western media have pointed fingers at Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi crown prince. Several American senators have also stated that evidence indicates Mohammed bin Salman's connection to this murder. This legislative body in the U.S. has also passed a resolution identifying Mohammed bin Salman as responsible for Khashoggi's murder. However, Riyadh insists that neither the crown prince nor the king of Saudi Arabia had any role in this incident. Erdoğan has also stated that the king of Saudi Arabia was unaware of the planning of Khashoggi's murder, but he has not exonerated Mohammed bin Salman. Turkey has also called for an international investigation into the Khashoggi case. According to the Saudi prosecutor and the foreign minister, 21 people have been arrested in connection with this case, and six Saudi officials have been dismissed from their positions, including the deputy head of Saudi security and some associates of Mohammed bin Salman. The Saudi prosecutor had stated about two months ago that he intended to request the death penalty for some of the perpetrators of this incident.