UN rights office: Saudi trial over Khashoggi killing ‘not sufficient’

The UN’s human rights office said that it was unable to assess the fairness of the Saudi prosecution of 11 suspects on trial in the kingdom for the murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. But the body claimed that the trial was nonetheless “not sufficient.” The comments were made by spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani following questions from media that prosecutors in Riyadh were seeking the death penalty for five of the accused. Shamdasani reiterated her office’s opposition to the death penalty and the need for an independent investigation “with international involvement.” Khashoggi, a Saudi national critical of the Saudi government and its war in Yemen, disappeared after entering Saudi Arabia’s Istanbul consulate on October 2 last year. Riyadh had initially denied that the journalist was killed inside the building but later admitted it following international condemnation.