On Thursday, Turkey is holding the last stage of the trial in absentia of 26 suspects in connection with the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in his country’s consulate in Istanbul before the case was referred to Riyadh, in a decision that was condemned by human rights organizations.
The 59-year-old journalist, who wrote articles for the “Washington Post” in which he criticized Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was killed on October 2, 2018, in an operation that dismembered him, and shocked the world.
The trial in Turkey began in 2020, amid strained relations between the two regional powers.
But at a time when Turkey is seeking to attract investments to help it overcome its economic crisis, its government has sought to turn the page on the dispute with Riyadh.
Last week, Turkish Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said he would accept the prosecutor’s request to refer the case to Saudi Arabia.
The prosecutor stated that the case was “protracted” as the court’s orders might not be applied because the defendants were foreigners.
But “Human Rights Watch” condemned Ankara, on Wednesday, saying that the decision “puts an end to any possibility of achieving justice.”
“Escaping from the Punishment”
Michael Page, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch, said referring the case “appears to reinforce the belief among Saudi authorities that they can commit murder with impunity.”
Amnesty International, whose Secretary-General, Agnes Kalamar, investigated the killing in 2019 when she was a UN special rapporteur, also strongly condemned the Turkish government’s decision.
“Turkey will knowingly and voluntarily send (the file) into the hands of those who are responsible” for Khashoggi’s killing, she said.
Callamard, in her 101-page report to the United Nations, concluded that there was “credible evidence” of Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s connection to the killing and an attempt to cover it up.
Five people were sentenced to death in the kingdom over the Khashoggi murder. But in September 2020, a court in Riyadh issued final verdicts in the case, imprisoning eight convicts for periods ranging from 20 to seven years, reversing death sentences following secret judicial procedures.
boycott
Ankara angered Riyadh by moving forward with legal procedures related to the case. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at the time that the orders to kill came from “the highest levels” of the Saudi government.
Over the ensuing years, Riyadh unofficially sought to pressure Ankara economically, boycotting Turkish imports.
And last year, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu visited Riyadh to restore relations with the kingdom.
Referring the case to Riyadh would remove the last obstacle to normalizing relations, according to AFP.
But Khashoggi’s Turkish fiancée, Hatice Cengiz, urged Ankara to insist on justice regardless of its rapprochement with Saudi Arabia.
“(Turkey) should not abandon this issue…to prevent something like this from happening once more,” she said in an interview with AFP in February.
Cengiz was outside the consulate awaiting the exit of Khashoggi, who was working on issuing documents for their marriage when he was killed. His remains were never found.
Erdogan has sought to improve relations with his regional rivals, including Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, in the face of growing diplomatic isolation that has led to a significant decline in foreign investment, especially from the West.
In January, he announced that he planned to visit Saudi Arabia while his country’s economy was going through a difficult period.
According to official data released last Monday, the annual inflation rate in Turkey rose to 61.14 percent.
