Turkey moves Khashoggi murder trial to Saudi Arabia

A Turkish court on Thursday suspended the trial in absentia of Saudi suspects accused of killing journalist Jamal Khashoggi and transferred it to Saudi Arabia, according to the New York Times.

Why it matters: The transfer likely means the end of the trial of 26 Saudi nationals who were charged in the 2018 killing of Khashoggi in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.

• The United States accused Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) of approving the operation to kill Khashoggi, who was a contributor to the Washington Post and an outspoken critic of MBS.

The big picture: Turkey’s decision to move the case comes as it faces an economic downturn and is seeking to repair its relationship with Saudi Arabia and other countries, according to AP.

• The trial was largely symbolic since Saudi Arabia refused to extradite the suspects and Turkish law does not allow convictions of people who have not testified, according to the Times.
• A Saudi court sentenced eight nationals in 2020 over the killing in a trial that was widely criticized, including by an independent UN investigator.
• Five of the individuals were ordered to serve a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, one will serve 10 years, and two will serve seven years.