Two years after the brutal murder of the Saudi government-critical journalist Jamal Khashoggi, negotiations on the case are ongoing in Turkey. Today a court in Istanbul meets for the second time in the trial of several suspects. The hearing is being observed by the organization Reporters Without Borders, among others, as representatives announced on Twitter.
Killed in Istanbul by a special command from Riyadh
Khashoggi was killed on October 2, 2018 in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul by a special command from Riyadh. The Turkish judiciary is now opening the case. The trial of 20 defendants began in early July, all of whom are Saudi citizens. However, the court hears her in absentia. At the start of the trial, Khashoggi’s fiancée Hatice Cengiz was interviewed.
Murder only admitted under international pressure
The leadership of the Islamic conservative kingdom was sharply criticized after the murder. The Saudi government only admitted the murder under international pressure. Back then, the traces led to the closest circle of the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. But he denied having ordered the killing himself.
The process in Turkey has strong political implications, as Turkey and Saudi Arabia are rivals and vying for influence in the region.
In early September, a Saudi court sentenced five defendants to 20 years‘ imprisonment, apparently overturning the death penalty imposed on the five men at the end of last year. Khashoggi’s family had previously stated that they would forgive the perpetrators.
