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Sirhan was denied parole for another three years by a panel of
California parole board members, who said he was not suitable
for release. The decision marks a change from a different
panel's conclusion two years ago that the 78-year-old should be
paroled.
That decision was overruled by California Governor Gavin Newsom,
a Democrat, and Sirhan sued, saying the governor's action was
illegal. It was not immediately clear what impact Wednesday's
ruling would have on the lawsuit.
Sirhan was convicted of gunning down Kennedy, 42, in the kitchen
pantry of the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles on June 5, 1968.
The shooting occurred minutes after the U.S. senator and former
U.S. attorney general gave his victory speech after winning the
California Democratic presidential primary. Kennedy died the
next day. His older brother, President John F. Kennedy, was
assassinated in Dallas in 1963.
Sirhan has said he had no recollection of the killing of Robert
Kennedy, although he has also said he fired at Kennedy because
he was enraged by his support for Israel.
Kennedy's widow, Ethel Kennedy, 94, and six of her children had
opposed parole for Sirhan.
Two other of Robert and Ethel Kennedy's nine surviving children
- Robert F. Kennedy, junior and Douglas Kennedy - were reported
by the Los Angeles Times to have supported parole for Sirhan
last year.
Sirhan was sentenced to death in 1969, but his sentence was
commuted to life in prison after California banned the death
penalty.
Outlining his decision to veto parole for Sirhan in an opinion
piece in the Los Angeles Times, Newsom said he disagreed with
the Board of Parole Hearings finding that Sirhan was suitable
for parole.
"After carefully reviewing the case, including records in the
California State Archives, I have determined that Sirhan has not
developed the accountability and insight required to support his
safe release into the community," Newsom wrote.
Sirhan is currently incarcerated in California's Richard J.
Donovan Correctional Facility near San Diego.
(Reporting by Brendan O'Brien in Chicago and Sharon Bernstein in
Sacramento; Editing by Bill Berkrot)
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