Erdogan Calls for Trial of Khashoggi Murderers on Turkish Soil

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the President of Turkey, on Tuesday, November 1, attended the Turkish Parliament to reveal what he called the 'naked truth' about the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, a critic of Saudi Arabia. Erdogan raised several questions demanding the disclosure of the identity of the 'main instigator' in this murder case and emphasized that several individuals who have been implicated so far should be tried in Turkey. Jamal Khashoggi, a critic of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and a columnist for the Washington Post, visited the Saudi consulate in Istanbul three weeks ago to register his marriage but never emerged from there. On Tuesday, the Turkish President stated that Saudi officials had taken a 'significant step' by acknowledging that he was killed in the consulate, but many questions remain unanswered. Erdogan began his remarks in front of members of his ruling party by expressing 'forgiveness' for the 'late Khashoggi' and then provided an introduction to what happened on the day the journalist went 'missing.' The first point he highlighted was that what happened to Mr. Khashoggi was 'premeditated,' a point he reiterated several times during his speech. Erdogan raised questions about a local individual who allegedly possesses Khashoggi's body, asking, 'Who is this local person? Why is no one talking about him?' He insisted that it must be clarified who ordered the murder and that the names of the group responsible for Khashoggi's killing must be fully disclosed. Erdogan pointed out that there are 'contradictions' in the Saudi statements and stressed that this case will not be closed until all these questions are answered. Hours before Erdogan's speech, the Turkish Foreign Minister announced that Ankara had not yet shared the results of its investigation into the journalist's murder in Istanbul with any country. This fact heightened the importance of Erdogan's speech, as attention was focused on gleaning information from his words that had not been reflected in Turkish media over the past twenty days. However, Erdogan's speech raised more questions than it revealed new insights into this murder case or what he termed a 'political assassination.' He stated that in his conversation with the Saudi king, he emphasized Turkey's interest in cooperating with Saudi Arabia on this matter. Nevertheless, Erdogan never directly referred to Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi Crown Prince. Erdogan stressed that the murder of Jamal Khashoggi occurred in Istanbul and that the government must be informed of all details: 'This is our right.' Erdogan's 'revealing' speech came a day after the U.S. President announced that he was not satisfied with the 'Saudi narrative' regarding this murder. On the same day, Gina Haspel, the head of the CIA, traveled to Ankara to meet with high-ranking officials in Erdogan's government, a visit reportedly entirely related to the murder of the critical journalist at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Saudi officials had expressed ignorance about his fate for at least two weeks, but less than a week ago, they first confirmed 'his death due to a quarrel in the consulate' and then acknowledged his killing, attributing it to 'rogue elements.' Meanwhile, according to Omer Celik, spokesman for the ruling party in Turkey, the murder of Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul was 'brutally' premeditated.