Khashoggi trial to be held in Riyadh
Turkey has renounced holding a trial on the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The case is to be handed over to Saudi Arabia on the grounds that the trial in Turkey would remain inconclusive. Human rights activists are sounding the alarm, fearing a cover-up of the crime committed in 2018 at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
Nothing can get in the way of Erdoğan's policies
The decision is based on political instructions from Ankara, writes the taz's Turkey correspondent Jürgen Gottschlich:
“Just as the opening of the trial two years ago was above all a political demonstration, the suspension is now nothing more than a signal to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. ... Turkey is in the process of sending an ambassador to Egypt once more, it has reconciled with the Gulf states and wants to do business with the Saudis again. Erdoğan plans to travel to Riyadh in the near future, and 'old business' with Khashoggi would only get in the way.”
Turkey needs Arab money
Erdoğan wants to repair his troubled relations with the Saudi royal family with a deal, Yetkin Report suspects:
“If such an agreement was indeed negotiated, would it have an economic benefit as well as a political one? Especially in the midst of an economic crisis in the run-up to elections? While the high cost of living is making life unbearable for low-income earners and people who can barely make ends meet, the dominant belief on the part of the AKP party is that Erdoğan will fix the economy with money he finds abroad and thus win the election in 13 months' time. His efforts to make amends with the United Arab Emirates and Israel should be viewed in this light.”