It's not surprising at all, but there is something extra evil about ordering the death of a bunch of people who tortured and murdered a dissident on your orders while you pretend you had nothing to do with it.
They'll spend one or two years on "death row" and then they'll receive ramadan pardons. I think it's *very* unlikely that they will actually be executed. Behind the scenes they surely will be treated as heros. Everything else would be very bad for morale.