Turkish prosecutor requests transfer of Khashoggi trial to Saudi Arabia

A Turkish prosecutor called on Thursday for the trial in Istanbul of Saudi suspects over the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi to be halted and transferred to Saudi authorities, a move which comes as Turkey seeks to mend ties with Riyadh.

Khashoggi’s killing at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul four years ago triggered a global outcry and put pressure on Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

A U.S. intelligence report released a year ago said the prince 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.

Turkish officials said they believe Khashoggi, a prominent critic of the crown prince, was killed and his body dismembered in an operation which President Tayyip Erdogan said had been ordered at the “highest levels” of the Saudi government.

The killing and subsequent accusations strained ties between the two regional powers and led to an unofficial Saudi boycott of Turkish goods, which has slashed Ankara’s exports to the kingdom by 90%.

Erdogan now seeks better ties with states which had become bitter rivals in recent years, including Egypt, Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.

Israeli and UAE leaders have visited Ankara in recent months, but progress with Cairo and Riyadh has been slower. Erdogan said last month he hoped to take “concrete steps” with Saudi Arabia soon.

The Istanbul court where the 26 Saudi suspects have been on trial in absentia for nearly two years said on Thursday it would ask for the Justice Ministry’s opinion on the request to transfer proceedings, and set the next hearing for April 7.

In 2020, Saudi Arabia jailed eight people for between seven and 20 years for Khashoggi’s murder. None of the defendants was named in what rights groups described as a sham trial.

At the time Ankara said the verdict fell short of expectations, but has since softened its tone as part of the broader attempt to repair ties.

Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told broadcaster A Haber on Thursday that “judicial cooperation” between the two countries had improved.

Erol Onderoglu, a representative for Reporters Without Borders (RSF), said Turkey’s Justice Ministry should reject the prosecutor’s request to transfer the case to Saudi Arabia.

“It is not possible to expect anything from Riyadh, where such a judicial charade took place,” he told Reuters.

SAUDIS SOUGHT TRANSFER

Last year the Turkish court rejected requests to add the U.S. intelligence assessment of Prince Mohammed’s role to the case file. It then asked for details of the Riyadh trial from Saudi authorities to avoid defendants being punished twice.

The Turkish prosecutor said Saudi authorities responded by asking for the case be transferred, and pledging to evaluate the accusations against the 26 defendants.

The request should be accepted, the prosecutor said, because the defendants were foreign citizens, the arrest warrants could not be executed and their statements could not be taken, leaving the case in abeyance or suspension.

The crown prince told The Atlantic monthly in an article published this month that he felt his own rights had been violated by the accusations against him as any person should be considered innocent until proven guilty.

Tarik Beyhan, campaigns and communications director at Amnesty International Turkey, said the investigation in Turkey had been the only chance for a fair trial and that transferring the case to Saudi Arabia would mean the case is closed.

“If Jamal Khashoggi’s murder is going to be covered up due to political interests, economic interests or to improve relations, this will be a serious human rights violation for Turkey,” Beyhan told Reuters.