Turkey urged not to transfer Khashoggi murder trial to Saudi Arabia
Human Rights Watch urged Turkey on Wednesday against transferring the trial of 26 Saudi nationals charged in killing Jamal Khashoggi to the kingdom, saying it would end any possibility of justice and reinforce "Saudi authorities' apparent belief that they can get away with murder."
Khashoggi, a Middle East Eye and Washington Post columnist, was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on 2 October 2018, in a murder that shocked the world and which continues to have ramifications.
Ankara-Riyadh relations worsened significantly after the killing, but Turkey has since sought to mend ties with Saudi Arabia to bolster its economy.
"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," said Michael Page, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch.
"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."
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A Turkish prosecutor asked an Istanbul court last Thursday to transfer the trial of the 26 Saudis after an apparent request by the kingdom.
The court is expected to convene on 7 April to review the prosecutor's request and make a decision over whether to transfer the case.
For years, Riyadh has been pressuring Ankara to drop the trial and has claimed its own legal proceedings, in which 18 individuals were charged with involvement in the murder, were sufficient.
But according to the Guardian, at least three members of the Saudi hit squad were residing and working "in seven-star accommodation" at a government-run security compound in Riyadh.
Hatice Cengiz, Khashoggi's fiancee, told MEE last week that she was shocked by the prosecutor's demand, and was very sad to see that things had reached this point.
However, earlier this year she had noted that the recent thaw in ties between Turkey and Saudi Arabia was a sign of the disappointment to come in her search for justice and closure.
"Turkey's regional realpolitik in resolving tensions with other countries shouldn't include sacrificing justice for Jamal Khashoggi," said Page.
"The decision to transfer the case will be a shameful indictment of the Turkish authorities’ willingness to whitewash assassinations by foreign governments on their territory."
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