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ISTANBUL: A Turkish court on Thursday suspended the trial of 26 Saudis accused in the gruesome killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi and transferred it to Saudi Arabia, a ruling that drew condemnation from rights groups and comes as Ankara mends ties with Riyadh.
The decision was expected after the prosecutor called last week for the trial in absentia of 26 Saudi suspects to be transferred from Istanbul to Riyadh. The justice minister later endorsed the request.
The ruling comes despite warnings from human rights groups that transferring the case to Kingdom would lead to a cover-up of the killing which has cast suspicion on Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
It also comes as Turkey has been trying to repair its troubled relationship with Saudi Arabia and an array of other countries in its region. It was not clear, however, if Saudi Arabia, which has already put some of the defendants on trial behind a closed door, would open a new trial.
The judge’s ruling marks a turnaround in the trial that began in 2020. “Making the decision to halt the trial is against the law because the acquittal ruling about the defendants in Saudi Arabia has been finalised,” said Gokmen Baspinar, a lawyer representing Hatice Cengiz, the murdered journalist’s fiancée.
“The fact that the trial is being transferred to a country where there is no justice is an example of irresponsibility against the Turkish people,” the lawyer added.
Human rights advocates had urged Turkey not to transfer the case to Saudi Arabia. “By transferring the case of a murder that was committed on its territory, Turkey will be knowingly and willingly sending the case back into the hands of those who bare its responsibility,” said Amnesty International Secretary General Agnes Callamard.
“What has happened to Turkey’s declared commitment that justice must prevail for this gruesome murder and that this case would never become a pawn in political calculations and interest?” she asked.
Khashoggi, a US resident who wrote for the Washington Post, was killed on October 2, 2018, at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, where he had gone for an appointment to collect documents required for him to marry his Turkish fiancee, Hatice Cengiz.
Turkish officials alleged that Khashoggi, who wrote critically about the crown prince, was killed and then dismembered with a bone saw inside the consulate by a team of Saudi agents sent to Istanbul. The group included a forensic doctor, intelligence and security officers and individuals who worked for the crown prince’s office. Khashoggi’s remains have not been found.
A US intelligence report released a year ago said Prince Mohammed had approved the operation to kill or capture Khashoggi, but the Saudi government denied any involvement by the crown prince.
The killing and subsequent accusations strained ties between the two Sunni Muslim regional powers and led to an unofficial Saudi boycott of Turkish goods, which cut Ankara’s exports to Riyadh by 90%.
However, with Turkey keen for investment to boost its economy, Ankara has sought over the last year to heal the rift with Riyadh.
