A court in Turkey is expected on Thursday to agree to a government decision to transfer the murder trial of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi to Saudi Arabia.
Khashoggi was lured to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October 2018 and murdered. His killing shocked the world and triggered a slide in Saudi-Turkish ties.
However, last week, Turkey's Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag announced he would agree to a Turkish prosecutor's request to hand over the probe into Khashoggi's death to Saudi Arabia.
The prosecutor had said the trial had been “dragging” as the defendants were foreign nationals and the court's decisions could not be enforced.
The trial court is expected to hold the final stage of the trial in absentia of 26 suspects on Thursday before transferring the case to Saudi Arabia.
Human rights groups have lashed out at Turkey over the move.
Amnesty International released a statement that argued “By deciding to transfer the case of the killing of Jamal Khashoggi to Saudi Arabia, Turkey is deciding to hand it back to those responsible for it. It is a sure and certain guarantee that only injustice and impunity will prevail.”
Amnesty International alleged “every single aspect of this crime involves the responsibility of the Saudi state”.
Michael Page, deputy Middle East director for Human Rights Watch, 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. 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.”
Human Rights Watch alleged Saudi Arabia had failed to arrest the most senior officials accused of involvement in the Khashoggi murder.
What led to change in position?
Turkey is attempting to court investment from Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states to tide over its economic crisis. Middle East Eye reported earlier this week “As ties with its rivals warm, Ankara has been seeking financial and economic boons to offset the continued pressure Turkey is feeling over the flagging lira and high inflation. The crown prince of Abu Dhabi, Mohammed bin Zayed, was first in with a private offer in one-to-one talks with [Turkish President Recep Tayyip] Erdogan to invest $100 billion in the Turkish economy. A package of $10 billion was eventually announced. But talks with Saudi have gone slower.”
