Turkish court transfers Khashoggi murder trial to Saudi Arabia

A Turkish court on Thursday transferred the trial of 26 individuals accused of murdering Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi to Saudi Arabia. 

Human rights groups and advocates for the media quickly slammed the decision, which will likely put an end to hopes of bringing any kind of real justice to those accused of killing and dismembering Khashoggi, an opinion columnist for The Washington Post who disappeared after a trip to the Saudi Embassy in Istanbul.

In a statement on Thursday, nonprofit organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF) called the court’s decision to move the trial back to Saudi Arabia “shocking.” 

“RSF is deeply shocked by Istanbul 11. High Criminal Court’s decision to send Jamal Khashoggi murder file back to Saudi Arabia,” said RSF Turkey representative Erol Önderoğlu in a statement.

“Hopes of justice have been dashed but RSF will keep on challenging by all means this unacceptable impunity,” the statement read.

Khashoggi was a prominent critic of Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and his kingdom. 

His killing led to a downturn in U.S.-Saudi relations that has aggravated U.S. efforts to convince Saudi Arabia to produce more oil amid sanctions imposed on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.

A Turkish prosecutor had requested that the trial be moved to Saudi Arabia last week. The prosecutor noted that Saudi authorities had asked for Khashoggi’s trial to be transferred to their courts, per a report by CNN.

Talking to reporers after the court ruling, Khashoggi’s fiancee Hatice Cengiz said she plans to appeal the court’s decision, CBS News noted. 

“[Turkey] is not ruled by a family like in Saudi Arabia. We have a justice system that addresses citizens’ grievances,” Cengiz said. “We will appeal the decision in line with our legal system.”