On Thursday, a Turkish court confirmed the suspension of the trial in absentia of 26 Saudi citizens accused of killing journalist Jamal Khashoggi, and for the case to be transferred to Saudi Arabia.
“We decided to halt and hand over the case to Saudi Arabia,” the judge told the court.
Due to the defendants being foreigners, the court’s orders could not be carried out, the Turkish prosecutor said.
The prosecutor recommended last week that the case be transferred to Saudi Arabia, arguing that the trial in Turkey would remain inconclusive.
Adding that the trial in Turkey would resume if the Turkish court is not satisfied with the outcome of proceedings in the Kingdom, Turkey’s justice minister supported the recommendation.
However, it was not clear if Riyadh would open a new trial, as it has already put some of the defendants on trial behind closed doors.
Khashoggi was a United States resident who was killed on October 2, 2018, at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. He was a critic of Saudi Crown Prince Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS).
