A court in Saudi Arabia has sentenced five people to death and three others to prison in connection with last year's killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at Riyadh's consulate in Istanbul.
The public prosecutor said in a statement the death sentences were for those who committed and directly participated in the murder. Those sent to prison were given sentences "for their role in covering up this crime."
The decision Monday came after largely secret proceedings that also cleared Saud al-Qahtani, the former top aide to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, of being involved in Khashoggi's death.
Paris-based media rights watchdog Reporters Without Borders said justice was "trampled" by the decision.
"We can interpret [the decision] as a means to permanently silence the suspects, a way to prevent them from speaking to better cover up the truth," the group's head, Christophe Deloire wrote on Twitter Monday.
Source: VOA nes