A Turkish Court Transferred The Trial Of Saudi Journalist Jamal Khashoggi To Saudi Arabia

A Turkish court ruled on Thursday that the trial of Saudi suspects in the murder of writer Jamal Khashoggi will be halted and moved to Saudi Arabia, a decision that rights organisations have denounced and comes as Ankara attempts to improve relations with Riyadh.

Following a prosecutor’s request last week that the trial in absentia of 26 Saudi suspects be moved from Istanbul to Riyadh, this judgement was expected. Afterwards, the justice minister gave his approval.

When Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018, the world was shocked and Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was put under pressure.

It is widely believed in Turkey that Jamal Khashoggi, a prominent opponent of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was murdered and his corpse mutilated at the command of “the highest levels” of the Saudi government, according to President Tayyip Erdogan.

The trial began in 2020, and the judge’s decision signals a dramatic shift in the proceedings.

Gokmen Baspinar, a lawyer for Hatice Cengiz, the deceased journalist’s fiancée, said that halting the trial is against the law because the acquittal judgement for the accused in Saudi Arabia has been finalised.

It is “irresponsible” for the Turkish people to have the trial moved to a nation where justice is non-existent, he added.

While the Saudi government has denied any participation in the killing or abduction of Khashoggi, a US intelligence report issued a year ago stated that Prince Mohammed Bin Suleman had given his approval for such an operation.

Turkey’s trade with Saudi Arabia was reduced in half by an unofficial boycott, which resulted in Saudi Arabian retaliation against Ankara’s shipments to Riyadh.

In the last year, Ankara has attempted to mend relations with Riyadh in order to attract more investment to Turkey’s economy.

Last month, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey and Saudi Arabia were engaged in a “good discussion” and that he hoped to take meaningful efforts to repair relations. Ankara said that the two countries’ foreign ministers met two weeks ago and decided to enhance relations.

Human Rights Watch had warned that the trial’s relocation to Riyadh would obstruct justice prior to the judgement.

Human Rights Watch’s deputy Middle East director, Michael Page, said it “would end any hope of justice for (Khashoggi) and strengthen Saudi officials’ clear assumption that they can get away with murder.”