Turkey Suspends Jamal Khashoggi Murder Trial, Transfers Case To Saudi Arabia Despite Rights Groups' Concerns

Journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed on October 2, 2018, inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul where he had gone to get some paperwork done before marrying his Turkish fiancée Hatice Cengiz.

Jamal Khashoggi, a Washington Post contributor, was killed on October 2, 2018, after a visit to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to obtain paperwork before marrying his Turkish fiancee | Photo: YASIN AKGUL/AFP via Getty Images

New Delhi: A Turkish court hearing the Jamal Khashoggi murder case has ruled to suspend the trial and transfer the case to Saudi Arabia. The 59-year-old journalist, a columnist with Washington Post, was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October 2018.

According to a report in Al Jazeera, the court ruled to suspend the trial in absentia of 26 Saudis who were accused in Khashoggi's killing. The report also said a plea to the effect was made by the prosecutor last week, and that Turkey’s justice minister later said the government would approve the request.

"We decided to halt and hand over the case to Saudi Arabia,” the Istanbul court said on Thursday, according to the report.

Jamal Khashoggi was killed on October 2, 2018, when he paid a visit to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to get some paperwork done before marrying his Turkish fiancée Hatice Cengiz, a Turkish academic and researcher.

After the court order Thursday, Cengiz said she would appeal the decision, the Al Jazeera report said.

Speaking to journalists outside the court, she said Turkey “is not ruled by a family like in Saudi Arabia”, and that “we have a justice system that addresses citizens’ grievances”.

She added: “We will appeal the decision in line with our legal system.” 

'...They Can Get Away With Murder'

Human rights groups had earlier said turning the case over to Saudi Arabia would lead to a cover-up of the murder, and Human Rights Watch (HRW) had on Wednesday called on the Turkish government to drop the plan, the report said.

“Transferring the Khashoggi trial from Turkey to Saudi Arabia would end any possibility of justice for him, and would reinforce Saudi authorities’ apparent belief that they can get away with murder,” Michael Page, deputy Middle East director at HRW, was quoted as saying in a statement.

He added: “The Turkish authorities should reverse their decision and not contribute any further to entrenching Saudi impunity by handing over the Khashoggi case to the very people implicated in his murder.”

While a 2018 US intelligence report had linked the killing to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, a Saudi court later held eight lower-level operatives responsible for the murder and sentenced them to prison terms ranging from seven to 20 years. It was alleged that the trial lacked transparency.

In November 2018, Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had called the murder “premeditated”, and also said that the order to kill the journalist came from the “highest levels” of the Saudi government.

The Turkish government, however, has since changed its stance, and called for an international investigation into the killing.

Turkey is said to be trying to improve its relationship with Saudi Arabia, and many other countries in the region, the Al Jazeera report noted.