OIC backs Saudi judiciary in Khashoggi case

Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed in the Kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul in October last year. (File/AP)

• OIC says preliminary rulings were issued in accordance with the Kingdom’s judicial procedures
• Transparency was demonstrated by presence of permanent members of the judicial hearings and Turkish official

JEDDAH: The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) said on Thursday that the preliminary rulings issued by Saudi Arabia’s criminal court regarding the case of journalist Jamal Khashoggi were issued in accordance with the Kingdom’s judicial procedures.
“They must be respected and should not interfere in the internal affairs of member states,” it added in a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency.
The Saudi prosecutor’s office on Monday said five people had been handed the death penalty “for committing and directly participating in the murder” of the Washington Post columnist last year at Saudi Arabia’s consulate in Istanbul.
It added that three others had been given prison terms amounting to 24 years “for their role in covering up this crime and violating the law.”
OIC Secretary-General Yousef Al-Othaimeen said: “The Kingdom’s commitment to achieving justice was evident by engaging those that hold the legal right, and they are the victim’s children.”
He said the attendance of delegates from the permanent members of the judicial hearings, in addition to a delegate from Turkey, demonstrated transparency.
“This confirms the integrity of the Saudi judiciary that examined the case, according to the available evidence and information, and not according to the political allegations that are not mentioned in the litigation,” he added.
The OIC affirmed its principles that stress non-interference in the internal affairs of member states, according to the third item in article 1 of the organization’s charter.