Saudi Arabia’s Public Prosecutor will seek the death penalty for five people in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a statement said on Thursday, as 11 suspects attended their first court hearing.
The statement said the suspects attended the opening hearing with their lawyers at the Criminal Court of Riyadh.
“The Public Prosecutor demanded imposing proper punishments against the defendants and is seeking capital punishment for 5 of the defendants for their direct involvement in the murder,” said the statement carried by the state-run Saudi Press Agency.
“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 in line with the Law of Criminal Procedures,” it said.
The statement also said that prosecutors sent a request to Turkey for evidence that Ankara has collected over the Oct. 2 murder of Khashoggi at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.
"No response has been received to date and the Public Prosecutor's Office is still waiting for an answer," it added.
