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Turkish Justice Minister: Court to demand return of those involved in the case of killing Khashoggi

October 19, 2018 at 1:26 am

Saudi journalist, Jamal Khashoggi [Twitter]

Turkish Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gul said on Thursday that the court could request the return of those involved in the case of Jamal Khashoggi to Turkey. The Saudi journalist has been missing since entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on 2 January.

Gul said in statements to the Turkish Anadolu Agency that the court’s request to return the wanted persons comes by international agreements and in case they are in another country, or a red notice is issued to return them if their location is unknown.

He clarified that the judicial authorities are in charge of the collection, analysis and decision-making of evidence in the case of Khashoggi. Gul indicated that the Turkish police had been successful in criminal investigation and were continuing to work on the subject with their experts.

“We are all waiting for the result of the investigation,” he added

Read: Saudi consul general leaves Turkey for Riyadh

He stated that investigations into the disappearance of Khashoggi are being carried out with precision and depth at all stages, and anticipated reaching a result soon.

Gul pointed out that the Public Prosecution is conducting investigations into the disappearance of Khashoggi, not the Ministry of Justice, and stressed that the Istanbul prosecutor would do what the law and international laws dictate in the investigation of “Khashoggi” case.

He clarified that the judicial authorities should act by international conventions and international law, in the case of Khashoggi, because he had disappeared inside his country’s consulate in Istanbul.

#JamalKhashoggi

He pointed out that the Public Prosecution’s investigations are conducted in secret. The minister also called for ignoring what is reported on social media and other sites on the case of “Khashoggi,” and for referring only to the statements issued by the Public Prosecution.

He stressed that the Turkish political front followed a transparent approach from the first moment of the disappearance of the Saudi journalist, and said that the most important thing is to disclose the circumstances of the incident and not to keep any point vague.

Read: Saudi may admit to killing of Khashoggi after denying any knowledge for two weeks

The Turkish Minister noted that the Vienna Convention sets out a framework for the way international laws and judicial as well as administrative authorities deal with diplomatic missions.

He explained: “In other words, the Attorney General cannot decide to inspect the consulate building at any time,” and indicated that the extent of cooperation and satisfaction of the concerned state is an influential factor.

Gul pointed out that the judicial investigation began immediately after the disappearance of the Saudi journalist.

He also stated that his country had waited for the approval of Saudi Arabia to inspect its consulate in Istanbul, and the Turkish Ministry of Justice asked the Public Prosecution to inspect the consulate. The Public Prosecution in its turn transferred the request to the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Gul stressed that the Turkish Foreign Minister, “Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu”, informed the Saudi authorities about the disappearance of “Khashoggi,” and asserted that the criminal inspections were conducted at the consulate under this framework.

Where is Jamal Khashoggi?... - Cartoon [Sabaaneh/MiddleEastMonitor]

Where is Jamal Khashoggi?… – Cartoon [Sabaaneh/MiddleEastMonitor]