Riyadh, September 7: Saudi Arabia on Monday convicted eight people charged in the killing of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi, state media reported on Monday. The court handed 20-year sentences to five people and three others were sentenced to between seven to 10 years, Al Jazeera reported citing state media on Monday. The eight convicted were not identified. Saudi Arabia Grants UAE's Request To Let Flights 'Coming From And Departing to All Countries' Fly Over Its Airspace.

The final court verdict comes after Khashoggi's sons said in May they had "pardoned" the killers - meaning they would not receive death sentences. Five of the men earlier had been sentenced to death.

Khashoggi, who was a vocal critic of the Saudi regime, was killed on October 2 last year in Turkey where he had gone to obtain paperwork certifying his divorce from his former wife Alaa Nassif in order to be able to marry his Turkish fiancee Hatice Cengiz.

His killing had brought international outrage and battered the reputation of Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

(The above story is verified and authored by ANI staff, ANI is South Asia's leading multimedia news agency with over 100 bureaus in India, South Asia and across the globe. ANI brings the latest news on Politics and Current Affairs in India & around the World, Sports, Health, Fitness, Entertainment, & News. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)