Court rejects appeal by Khashoggi’s fiancée over transfer of case

ANKARA

A court in Ankara has rejected an appeal by Hatice Cengiz, the fiancée of slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi, against the Justice Ministry’s approval for transferring the trial to Saudi Arabia.

Khashoggi, a U.S. resident and Washington Post columnist, was killed on Oct. 2, 2018, at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. He had gone into the consulate for an appointment to collect documents required for him to marry Cengiz.

Khashoggi never emerged from the building. His remains have not been found.

Turkey began prosecuting defendants in absentia in 2020 after Saudi Arabia rejected requests for their extradition.

However, a court in Istanbul ruled to suspend the trial in absentia of 26 Saudis accused in the gruesome killing of Khashoggi and for the case to be transferred to Saudi Arabia earlier this month.

The Justice Ministry also gave the greenlight to the transfer of the trial.
Cengiz, through her lawyer, filed a case against the Justice Ministry, demanding the cancellation of the ministry’s decision. The administrative court in Ankara on April 19 rejected Cengiz’s appeal.

The court’s decision on the suspension and transfer of trial is in line with laws, Justice Minister Bekir Bozdağ said on April 15.

The court’s ruling does not mean that the case will be dismissed or the transfer of the jurisdiction, the minister tweeted on April 15.