RIYADH: A Saudi court yesterday overturned five death sentences over journalist Jamal Khashoggi's murder in a final ruling that jailed eight defendants to between seven and 20 years, state media reported. "Five of the convicts were given 20 years in prison and another three were jailed for 7-10 years," the official Saudi Press Agency said, citing a spokesman for the public prosecutor. None of the defendants were named in what was described as the final court ruling on the killing.

The verdict came after Khashoggi's sons said in May they had pardoned the killers. The family's pardon spared the lives of five unnamed people sentenced to death over the murder in a December court ruling. Khashoggi, 59, was killed and dismembered at the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul in Oct 2018. His remains have not been found. Riyadh has described the murder as a "rogue" operation. - AFP