On Tuesday 8 September, the European Parliament Sub-Committee on Human Rights gave its full support to Agnès Callamard’s conclusions in the case of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, “in her capacity as independent human rights expert and special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions”.
A few hours earlier, Callamard had stated that the verdicts in the case carried “no legal or moral legitimacy, at the end of a process which was neither fair, nor just, or transparent”.
On 9 September, in response to questions put by EUROPE, Peter Stano, the spokesperson for the European External Action Service, said that the EU took note of the verdict and of the fact that Saudi Arabia had followed its internal procedures in investigating and prosecuting the case. “The EU also takes note of the fact that the Khashoggi family has pardoned the defendants, allowing the death penalty to be turned into prison sentences”, he added.
However, according to the spokesman, the EU is aware of the “strong concerns expressed by the UN, which cast doubt on the credibility of the process”.
On Monday 7 September, eight defendants, who had been convicted of involvement in Khashoggi’s death, were sentenced to prison terms of ranging from seven to 20 years. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)