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Fes – A Turkish court in Istanbul has halted the trial for the murder of Jamal Khashoggi and has confirmed it will transfer the trial to Saudi Arabia.
On Friday, April 1, Turkish Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag agreed to the transfer of the case, despite warnings from human rights groups that the decision may lead to a cover-up of the killing.
The trial was attended by Khashoggi’s Turkish fiance Hatice Cengiz, who is seeking to appeal the court’s decision. In a tweet, she declared: “My fight for justice for Jamal is not over. The courts might have decided that they can ignore the truth about his case, but I will not stop and I will not be quiet about it. We all know who is guilty of Jamal’s murder and it is now more important than ever that I keep going.”
Turkish authorities suspected the crown prince of Saudi Arabia as the person who ordered the murder of Jamal Khashoggi.
The Turkish accusations followed an unofficial Saudi boycott of Turkish goods and deteriorated relations between the two countries.
The move comes at a time when Turkey is facing economic decline and is likely eager to help fix its relationship with Saudi Arabia.
Washington Post journalist Jamal Kashoggi was a prominent critic of Saudi Arabia’s crown prince Mohammed Bin Salman. He was murdered and dismembered in the Saudi consulate in Turkey on October 2, 2018.
Read Also: Jamal Khashoggi Allegedly Recorded His Torture, Murder on Apple Watch
In 2020, Saudi Arabia found five people guilty of directly participating in the crime and handed them death sentences that were turned into 20-year prison sentences. Three others were handed 7 to 10-years in prison for allegedly covering up the crime.
The trial was criticized by UN officials and human rights advocates for not addressing the real murderers. Ex-Special Rapporteur on ExtraJudicial Executions for the UN Agnes Callamard has described the trial as making a “mockery of justice,” Qatari news outlet Al Jazeera reported.
It is unclear whether Saudi Arabia will reopen the case.
