Saudi Arabia starts trial in Khashoggi murder

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — A Saudi court on Thursday launched the trial of 11 men charged with involvement in the murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi three months ago, the kingdom’s chief prosecutor said.

Khashoggi, a sharp critic of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was killed on Oct. 2 after he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, a case that has triggered global condemnation.

The 11 defendants — all Saudi nationals — appeared at the Criminal Court in the capital Riyadh on Thursday for the first hearing in the trial, top prosecutor Saud al-Mojeb said in a statement, according to the state news agency SPA.

They included five defendants for whom prosecutors have demanded the death penalty for their direct involvement in Khashoggi’s murder, the statement added, without disclosing names.

The bill of indictment against the accused was read out at the procedural session.

“During the initial hearing of the case, the defendants requested a copy of the indictment and additional time to respond. The defendants’ request was approved,” the statement said.

Prosecutors, meanwhile, were questioning other suspects in connection with the case.

No date has been set for the next hearing.

The chief prosecutor also said Turkey has yet to respond to a Saudi request to provide any evidence linked to the case.

After weeks of denials and under growing international pressure, Saudi Arabia backtracked on its initial claims that Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist, had left the consulate alive and admitted that he was killed in a “fist fight.”