The decision comes despite warnings from human rights groups that referring the case to the kingdom would cover up the assassination, raising suspicions among Saudi Arabia’s successor, Mohammed bin Salman. It also comes as Turkey, which is in the throes of an economic downturn, seeks to repair its troubled relationship with Saudi Arabia and many other countries in its region. Some media outlets have claimed that Riyadh has made the improvement of relations conditional on Turkey lifting the case against the Saudis. Last week, the prosecutor in the case proposed his transfer to the kingdom, arguing that the trial in Turkey would remain unclear. The Turkish Justice Minister supported the recommendation, adding that the trial in Turkey would resume if the Turkish court was not satisfied with the outcome of the proceedings in the kingdom. However, it was not clear whether Saudi Arabia, which has already referred some of the defendants to a closed trial, would open a new trial. Human rights defenders have urged Turkey not to transfer the case to Saudi Arabia. “By transferring the case of a murder committed on its territory, Turkey will knowingly and willingly send the case back into the hands of those responsible,” said Amnesty International Secretary-General Agnès Callamard. “Indeed, the Saudi system has repeatedly failed to cooperate with the Turkish prosecutor and it is clear that justice can not be served by a Saudi court. “What happened to Turkey’s stated commitment that justice must prevail for this horrific murder and that this case would never become a tool of political calculations and interest?” The New York-based Human Rights Watch said: “Given the complete lack of judicial independence in Saudi Arabia, the role of the Saudi government in the assassination of Kasogi, its previous efforts to standards. “The chances of a fair trial in the Kasogi case in Saudi Arabia are almost nil.” Kasogi, a US resident, was killed on October 2, 2018, at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, where he had gone on a date to gather the documents needed to marry his Turkish fiancée, Hatice Cengiz. Turkish officials claim that Kasogi, who wrote critically about the successor, was killed and then dismembered with a bone saw inside the consulate by a group of Saudi agents sent to Istanbul. The team included a medical examiner, intelligence and security officers, and people working for the Crown Prince’s office. Kasogi’s remains have not been found.
