RIYADH — Salah Khashoggi, the son of the murdered Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, says that the family has pardoned his father's killers. Salah Khashoggi issued a statement on his Twitter handle, saying that the family has decided to pardon those who murdered their father. "On this virtuous night of this holy month, we recall the say of God Almighty in his holy book: "The repayment of bad actions, is one equivalent to it, But whoever pardons and makes reconciliation, his reward lies with God. He does not love the unjust." "Thus, we, sons of the martyr Jamal Khashoggi, announce that we forgive those who killed our father — May he rest in peace — for the sake of God Almighty, hopefully seeking reward with the Almighty," the statement read. Khashoggi was killed in a rogue operation carried out at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, on Oct. 2, 2018. A Saudi court in December 2109 sentenced five people to death for the murder and three others were sentenced to a total of 24 years in jail following an investigation. The investigations involved a total of 31 persons, of whom 21 were taken into custody. The investigations concluded that there was no premeditation to commit the murder. "The murder was spontaneous." Welcoming the judgment, Salah Khashoggi had expressed his faith in the Saudi judicial system and denounced those who politicize his father's case. "My father never tolerated any abuse or attempt to harm (the Kingdom), and I will not accept his memory or his cause being taken advantage of to achieve that," he had said.
