The family of slain Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi said on Friday that they have forgiven those who murdered their father, his son Salah wrote in a tweet on Friday.
“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’s Jamal Khashoggi announce pardoning those who killed our father, seeking reward God almighty” he added.
Khashoggi — a royal family insider turned critic — was killed and dismembered at the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul in October 2018, in a case that tarnished the reputation of de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
His family’s pardon could spare the lives of five unnamed people sentenced to death over the murder in a December court ruling that exonerated two top aides to the crown prince.
Out of 11 individuals indicted in the case — most of whom remain unnamed — five were sentenced to death, three face jail terms totalling 24 years and the others were acquitted, according to the public prosecutor.
The December verdict, which was lambasted by rights groups as a travesty of justice, underscored Saudi efforts to draw a line under the crisis as it seeks to reboot its international image ahead of this year’s G20 summit in Riyadh.
Via Reuters
