Turkey supports Khashoggi murder trial’s move to Saudi Arabia
Khashoggi, who wrote critically of Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, disappeared in October 2018 after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
Turkey’s justice minister said Friday that the government will recommend that an Istanbul court close a trial in absentia against 26 Saudi nationals charged in the slaying of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi and transfer the case to Saudi Arabia.
Bekir Bozdag spoke a day after a Turkish prosecutor requested the transfer, in line with a request from the kingdom.
A panel of judges hearing the case made no ruling on the surprise request by the prosecutor on Thursday but said it would seek the Justice Ministry’s opinion. Trial was adjourned until April 7.
The request, which came as Turkey and Saudi Arabia have been working to improve ties, raised fears of a possible coverup of the killing that triggered an international outcry and cast a cloud of suspicion over Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
“We will send our opinion today,” the state-run Anadolu Agency quoted Bozdag as saying. “We will provide a positive opinion concerning the transfer of this case.”
Amnesty International has urged Turkey to press ahead with the trial, arguing that the case would be placed under wraps if moved to Saudi Arabia.
Bozdag said, however, that should the case be moved to the kingdom, the Turkish court would evaluate any verdict reached by a Saudi court. The Turkish judiciary would then drop the case if it is satisfied with the verdict reached in Saudi Arabia or resume proceedings if the defendants are acquitted, Anadolu reported.
The trial’s transfer to Saudi Arabia “does not abolish the jurisdiction of the Turkish courts,” Anadolu quoted the minister as saying.
