Turkey called on Wednesday for an international investigation into the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Photo: Reuters
Khashoggi, a critic of de facto Saudi ruler Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was killed in Saudi Arabia’s Istanbul consulate last month in a hit which Erdogan says was ordered at the ‘highest levels’ of the Saudi government.
“An international investigation into the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi is essential,” Turkey’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Wednesday.
“We will do whatever it takes to bring the murder to light. We have shown the evidence to all those who wanted to see,” Cavusoglu told the parliament.
Turkey previously said it would cooperate in an international investigation, and had called for a UN probe.
‘Rights groups should attend suspects’ trial’
Omer Celik, the spokesperson for the Tayyip Erdogan’s AKP, proposed on the same day that suspects in the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi be tried in a Turkish court observed by international human rights groups. “Let the human rights units from all respected organizations, from the United Nations to the European Union, come and watch this trial,” said Celik.
“Let them judge whether the trial fits the standards of international law,” Celik, a former minister, told a news conference.
Turkey says the suspects should be tried in a Turkish court because the crime occurred on its territory, even though it was inside a Saudi diplomatic mission. Riyadh has said the suspects will be prosecuted in Saudi Arabia.