A senior Turkish official proposed on Wednesday that suspects in the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi be tried in a Turkish court, observed by international human rights groups.
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 Turkish President Erdogan says was ordered at the “highest levels” of the Saudi government.
Turkish authorities have prepared an extradition request for 18 suspects detained in Saudi Arabia, which includes a 15-man team that Turkey says arrived in Istanbul shortly before the killing and carried it out.
“Let the human rights units from all respected organisations, from the United Nations to the European Union, come and watch this trial,” said Omer Celik, spokesperson for President Tayyip Erdogan’s AK Party.
“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.
