Turkish court halts trial over Jamal Khashoggi’s killing, transfers it to Saudi Arabia

A Turkish court has ruled to halt the trial of Saudi suspects over the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and transfer it to Saudi Arabia, drawing condemnation from rights groups.

The move comes as Ankara mends ties with Riyadh.

Khashoggi, a US resident who wrote critically about Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was killed in October 2018 at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.

He had gone there for an appointment to collect documents required for him to marry his Turkish fiancee Hatice Cengiz.

Turkish officials alleged that Khashoggi 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. His remains have not been found.

Last week the Turkish prosecutor called for the trial in absentia of 26 Saudi suspects to be transferred from Turkish to Saudi authorities.

Turkey’s Justice Minister later said the government backed the request.

However a lawyer representing Khashoggi’s fiancee criticised the move.

“Making the decision to halt [the trial] is against the law … because the acquittal ruling about the defendants in Saudi Arabia has been finalised,” Gokmen Baspinar said.

“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.

Khashoggi’s killing triggered a global outcry and put pressure on Prince Mohammed, who is Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler.

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 and rejected the report’s findings.

Rights groups say decision shows Saudi authorities can ‘get away with murder’

A Turkish court began the trial in 2020, when relations between the Turkey and Saudi Arabia, two Sunni Muslim regional powers, were tense.