Five to die for Khashoggi murder : Can anyone kill for the state without orders from above?

In a clumsy attempt to launder its battered image, it appears Saudi Arabia is on the verge of killing five of its officials for the gruesome murder of Jamal Khashoggi, a former Saudi dissident. The desert kingdom is desperate to send the message that the journalist's murder was not premeditated.

Shalaan al-Shalaan, the kingdom's deputy public prosecutor, revealed on Thursday that 21 people are in custody over the killing and charges have been brought against 11 of them.

Al-Shalaan requested the death penalty for five people who 'are charged with ordering and committing the crime and for the appropriate sentences for the other indicted individuals'.



However, the question any sane observer may ask is : Can anyone actually kill for the state without instructions from the top?

Meanwhile Turkey has refused to accept the rantings of Al-Shalaan in their entirety. Its public prosecutor said news of the charges was 'positive but insufficient'.

The kingdom's regional rival has previously said it believes officials at the very top level of Saudi's ruling family are to blame for the murder.

 

There was no doubt that Khashoggi was a valued insider who became a dissident. It was therefore understandable that the powers that be in the kingdom were scared to death by his defection and his remaining on the outside.

As the avuncular journalist refused all entreaties to return to Riyadh, Khashoggi's mindless visit to the Saudi embassy in Turkey gave the kingdom an opportunity to administer the final solution.