Washington – The United States on Monday applauded the Saudi government’s judgement to award death sentences to five people involved in Jamal Khashoggi’s murder in Istanbul in October 2018.
“Today’s verdicts were an important step in holding those responsible for this terrible crime accountable,” a State Department official told reporters after the ruling, which was lambasted as a travesty by Turkey, rights groups, and The Washington Post, to which Khashoggi contributed.
U.S. stood by Saudi Arabia and encouraged it to undertake a fair and transparent judicial process.
“We’re pressing them for more transparency and for holding everybody accountable.”
Unknown and unnamed sources linked the murder to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, which the Saudi authorities vehemently denied for lack of proper evidences.
However, President Donald Trump’s administration has been very careful to not attribute such blame to the prince without any substantial proofs, hence giving top priority to maintaining good relations with the kingdom.
