By Al Monitor
Turkey seems determined to keep Saudi Arabia on its toes by refusing to share all evidence on the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
The Saudi investigation team headed by the country’s top prosecutor, Saud al-Mojeb, met with its Turkish counterpart for a second round of talks today. Saudi investigators expected to be presented with a 150-page dossier, including interviews done with 45 Saudi Consulate employees, but the Turkish side refused to share all evidence with the team. Instead they demanded the extradition of the Saudi suspects to Turkey and information about the whereabouts of the journalist’s body, Turkish media reported.
Why it matters: Turkey seems to be keeping its cards close to its chest to force Saudi Arabia to disclose more information about those who played a role in the murder of the Washington Post contributor and the whereabouts of his remains. Turkish authorities’ reluctance to share all evidence might be an effort to prevent any efforts by the Saudis to whitewash the crime and keep its leverage over Riyadh.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called on the Saudi prosecutor to not protect anyone and demanded full disclosure. “Who sent these 15 people? As Saudi public prosecutor, you have to ask that question. … No need to make things difficult, this matter must be solved. At heart, these efforts are aiming at protecting certain people,” Erdogan said today in an apparent reference to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is widely believed to have played a role in Khashoggi’s death.
What’s next: Turkey has two apparent demands from the Saudis: Cooperation to locate the journalist’s body and the extradition of the 18 suspects who have been detained in Saudi Arabia. At the moment, Turkey’s top priority seems to be locating Khashoggi’s remains. Indeed, Chief Istanbul Prosecutor Irfan Fidan reiterated Turkey’s information demand concerning the whereabouts of the body during today’s meeting, Turkish media reported.
Meanwhile, the UN’s top human rights official also urged Riyadh today to reveal the whereabouts of Khashoggi’s body. Michelle Bachelet, the UN human rights chief, lamented the “shockingly brazen crime” and called for an independent investigation by international experts with access to evidence and witnesses.
Know more: Read our latest coverage of the evolving Turkey-Gulf relationship here and the latest on the Khashoggi investigation and its diplomatic ramifications here.
