UK says Khashoggi family deserves justice

By Ahmet Gurhan Kartal

LONDON (AA) – Saudi Arabia “must ensure” that all those responsible for the brutal killing of Jamal Khashoggi are held accountable, Britain said Monday.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab described the killing “a terrible crime” in a statement following a Saudi court ruling sentencing five people to death for taking part in the murder.

“Mr Khashoggi’s family deserve to see justice done for his brutal murder,” Raab said.

“Saudi Arabia must ensure all of those responsible are held to account and that such an atrocity can never happen again,” he said.

A statement from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office also expressed the U.K.’s opposition to the use of the death penalty in all circumstances “as a matter of principle.”

Khashoggi, a columnist for The Washington Post and U.S. resident, was murdered after entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2, 2018 on a visit to pick up paperwork for his forthcoming marriage.

Following 18 days of denial of the murder by Riyadh, Saudi authorities said he was killed in a fight that erupted between him and 18 Saudis, and detained them for investigation without giving further details on the killing or the whereabouts of his remains.

UN Special Rapporteur Agnes Callamard concluded in an earlier report that Khashoggi's murder was a “deliberate, premeditated execution” and encouraged an investigation of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Saudi officials, however, have insisted that the Saudi prince was not involved in the murder.