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Saudi court sentences 8 for the killing of Jamal Khashoggi

Photo: Mohammed Al-Shaikh/AFP via Getty Images

A Saudi court has sentenced eight nationals for the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi on Monday, AP reports.

Why it matters: The trial has been widely criticized, including by an independent UN investigator. No senior official or anyone suspected of ordering the killing was found guilty. The Saudi government has long maintained that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had no knowledge or involvement in the assassination, despite the CIA concluding last year that he gave the order.

The state of play: The names of those convicted have not been made public, per AP.

  • Five of the individuals were ordered to serve a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, one will serve 10 years, and two were ordered to serve seven years.

Background: Khashoggi was murdered and dismembered at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2, 2018.

  • The official Saudi story changed several times in the aftermath of the murder, and the government has never offered a full accounting of how and why the crime was carried out, or who gave the order.

Go deeper: A year after Jamal Khashoggi's murder, Saudi trial veiled in secrecy

Go deeper

Dave Lawler, author of World
Dec 1, 2020 - World

Assassination in Iran sets stage for tense final 50 days of Trump

The funeral ceremony in Tehran. Photo: Iranian Defense Ministry via Getty

Iranian leaders are weighing their response to the assassination of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, known as the father of Iran’s military nuclear program, who was given a state funeral Monday in Tehran.

The big picture: Iran has accused Israel of carrying out Friday’s attack, but senior leaders have suggested that they’ll choose patience over an immediate escalation that could play into the hands of the Israelis and the outgoing Trump administration.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow
Fadel Allassan
1 hour ago - World

Putin foe Navalny to be detained for 30 days after returning to Moscow

Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny. Photo: Oleg Nikishin/Epsilon/Getty Images

Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny has been ordered to remain in pre-trial detention for 30 days, following his arrest upon returning to Russia on Sunday for the first time since a failed assassination attempt last year.

Why it matters: The detention of Navalny, an anti-corruption activist and the most prominent domestic critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has already set off a chorus of condemnations from leaders in Europe and the U.S.

Go deeper (2 min. read)Arrow
Axios
2 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Biden picks Warren allies to lead SEC, CFPB

Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

President-elect Joe Biden has selected FTC commissioner Rohit Chopra to be the next director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and Obama-era Wall Street regulator Gary Gensler to lead the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Why it matters: Both picks are progressive allies of Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and viewed as likely to take aggressive steps to regulate big business.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow