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Prince Mohammed bin Salman, of Saudi Arabia, visited Turkey yesterday (June 22) for the first time since the murder of The Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018 at the kingdom's consulate in İstanbul.
Prince Mohammed bin Salman allegedly instigated the murder of Khashoggi.
Hatice Cengiz, the fiancee of Khashoggi, voiced her protest on Twitter. Cengiz defined bin Salman as a "murderer" in her message.
About the #Saudi Crown Prince’s trip to #Turkey: His visit to our country doesn’t change the fact that he is responsible for a #murder. The political legitimacy he earns through the visits he makes to a different country every day doesn’t change the fact that he is a murderer. pic.twitter.com/SR3G0oo4WL
— Hatice Cengiz / خديجة (@mercan_resifi) June 22, 2022
"About the Saudi Crown Prince's trip to Turkey: His visit to our country doesn't change the fact that he is responsible for a murder. The political legitimacy he earns through the visits he makes to a different country every day doesn't change the fact that he is a murderer.
"I first invite everyone to think about the international order that left me alone in my fight for justice and forced me to release a statement on state leaders and about the twisted justice system.
"Jamal is no longer my story and this struggle for justice is no longer my fight alone. It is a fight by every free and thoughtful person. He is unfairly killed, he is someone even without a grave.
"None of the diplomatic engagements would legitimize the unfairness and the injustice.
"We are in a fight to advocate and stand up for the morality and the humanitarian values that we uphold against the world leaders who ignore our most fundamental human rights, and remind the people who have forgotten about them, despite the so-called 'international order'.
"We have to continue to seek justice until every effort is futile. Ultimately, as an individual who puts her faith in eternal justice, I believe no crime goes unpunished."
Prosecutor: Khashoggi Strangled at the Saudi Consulate in İstanbul
The İstanbul Head Prosecutor of the Republic stated 4 years ago that Khashoggi was strangled and his body annihilated at the Saudi Consulate in İstanbul.
"Jamal Khashoggi in accordance with a preconceived plot was immediately strangled as soon as he stepped in the Saudi Istanbul Consulate on Oct. 2 and his deceased body again in accordance with the same plan had been dismembered and annihilated."
Salman: "It happened under my watch"
On October 20, the official news agency of Saudi Arabia, SPA, reported that Khashoggi "started to argue with other citizens of Saudi Arabia in the Consulate General in İstanbul, the argument turned into a row and Khashoggi lost his life as a result of this commotion."
In a conversation with Frontline correspondent Martin Smith, bin Salman spoke for the first time about his role in Khashoggi's murder.
"It happened under my watch, I take all the responsibility because it happened under my watch."
Khashoggi's fiancee, Hatice Cengiz, her family, human rights organizations, and international institutions demanded the location of the journalist's body.
CLICK - "Khashoggi Strangled and His Body Annihilated in the Saudi Istanbul Consulate"
Khashoggi case handed over to Saudi Arabia
As the relations between the Erdoğan's administration and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia began to improve, the heavy penal court decided to relocate the trial of Khashoggi from İstanbul to Saudi Arabia.
In the trial of 26 people in absentia over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Saudi Arabia, of which Khashoggi was a citizen, requested that the file of the case held by the İstanbul 11th High Criminal Court be handed over to them and red notice on the defendants be lifted.
At the hearing held on March 31, the prosecutor of the hearing reiterated the same request in his opinion as to the accusations and the court board ruled that the Justice Ministry should be asked for its opinion. Minister of Justice Bekir Bozdağ announced that the request would be accepted.
The court ruled that the trial should be halted and it should be handed over to the judicial authorities in Saudi Arabia.
The visit
President Erdoğan and bin Salman discussed the new era of cooperation in bilateral ties, including political, economic, military, security, and cultural relations, according to the state-run Anadolu Agency.
Erdoğan welcomed Prince Mohammed bin Salman with an official ceremony in the capital Ankara.
According to a joint declaration, the two leaders emphasized the countries' determination to start a new era of comprehensive cooperation.
Also, they highlighted the importance of increasing the number of flights, easing bilateral trade, exploring investment opportunities, and transforming them into concrete partnerships. (AEK/TB/VK)
