The trial of 26 people accused of killing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashkji has been suspended in Turkey.
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| Jamal Khashkji was assassinated by Saudi agents in 2018 inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul |
Khashoggi's fiance Khadija Genghis says she will continue to fight for justice.
A Washington Post journalist was assassinated in 2018 at the Saudi consulate on the pretext of being summoned. The assassination by Saudi agents drew international outrage.
Eight unidentified men were convicted in 2019 by a Saudi court in a murder case.
The court's decision on Thursday came after the Turkish justice minister granted the prosecutor's request that no progress be made in the case due to the absence of defendants. So stop it. Prosecutors say Saudi officials will review the charges against the suspects.
Human rights activists have called the decision a "dust-up".
Melina Bayonne, an Amnesty International official in Turkey, called it a "terrible and blatant political decision."
He wrote in his tweet: "Agree to hand over the case to Saudi authorities, in one sentence, all at once. He did not even bother to say that the lawyers' requests had been rejected. A terrible and open political decision.
" According to AFP, Khashoggi's fiance Khadija told reporters that she would appeal the decision.
He wrote in a tweet: "My fight for justice for Jamal is not over. The courts may decide to ignore the facts of his case, but I will not sit idly by or remain silent. We all know who is responsible for Jamal's murder and now it is more important than ever for me to continue my struggle.
The ruling comes at a time when Turkey is seeking to improve relations with Saudi Arabia.
Relations between the two regional powers soured after the assassination, with Saudi Arabia unannounced boycotting Turkish exports.
Jamal Khashoggi, a critic of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was last seen entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2, 2018. He went there to get the necessary documents to marry his fiance.
Agnes Kilmard, a UN official at the time, concluded after an investigation that a 15-member team from Riyadh had "brutally killed" him inside the building and dismembered his body. She came to the conclusion after listening to alleged recordings of conversations inside the consulate, which were provided to her by Turkish intelligence.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused Khashoggi of being "brutally murdered by a death squad" sent from Riyadh, saying "it is certain that he was assassinated as part of a well-planned operation." Has gone
U.S. intelligence agencies claim that the Crown Prince, who is de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia, approved the operation to assassinate Khashoggi.
The prince denied any involvement in the killings, and the Saudi prosecution accused the agents of "bad pay".
A year later, a Saudi court sentenced five people to death for involvement in the murder, which was later commuted to 20 years in prison, while three others were sentenced to seven to 10 years in prison for covering up the crime. Sentences were handed down.
Turkey called the decision "shameful" and for nearly two years, a court in Istanbul has been prosecuting 26 Saudi officials for plotting to assassinate them in their absence.
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