Turkey charges 20 Saudis over Khashoggi murder

<p>Turkey have charged 20 Saudi nationals over the murder of prominent journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul in 2018, The Guardian reports.</p> <p>Two of the men charged are allies of the crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman. The former royal court adviser, Saud al-Qahtani and the former deputy head of intelligence, Ahmed al-Asiri were among the suspects charged. Both men are accused of having "instigated premeditated murder with monstrous intent."</p> <p>Arrest warrants have been issued, however as none of them are in the country, a trial in absentia will be opened. Turkey is seeking life imprisonment for all 20 suspects.&nbsp;</p> <p>Some Western governments and the CIA believe that the crown prince ordered the the murder but Saudi officials continue to deny the accusation.</p> <p>Khashoggi, a journalist for the Washington Post and US resident, initially arrived in Saudi Arabia’s consulate in October 2018, to file in documents certifying that he had divorced his ex-wife so that he could remarry. Turkish intelligence alleged that Khashoggi was strangled to death, dismembered with a bone saw and then dissolved in acid in the consulate.&nbsp;</p> <p>The indictment was based on analysis of mobile phone and computer records, witness statements and the suspects' entry into and exit from Turkey.&nbsp;</p> <p>Read more from The Guardian <u><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/25/turkey-charges-20-saudis-…">here </a></u>and Al Jazeera <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/03/istanbul-prosecutor-indicts-saud…"><u>here</u></a>.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>