After Saudi crown prince's visit, Turkey closes Khashoggi case

Two days after Erdoğan and Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met in Turkey, an Istanbul court closed the trial of 26 people accused of killing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Friday June 24 2022 11:57 pm

Duvar English

An Istanbul court has dropped the charges against 26 Saudis accused in the gruesome killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and closed the case.

The lawyer of Hatice Cengiz, the murdered journalist's fiancee, said that they will file an appeal against this decision, Demirören news agency reported on June 24.

The Istanbul 11th Heavy Penal Court's decision was announced to the public two days after Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman visited Turkey and met with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

Ties between Ankara and Riyadh took a turn for the worse after a Saudi hit squad killed and dismembered Khashoggi in 2018 at the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul. Erdoğan at the time blamed it on the "highest levels" of the Saudi government.

The June 22 visit by bin Salman to Turkey marked a turnaround in the relations between the two countries. Ankara had stopped all criticism and suspended its murder trial in April, transferring the case to Riyadh in a move condemned by human rights groups.