Call to end Jamal Khashoggi murder trial in Turkey

People hold posters of murdered Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, near the Saudi Arabia consulate in Istanbul on the second anniversary of his death (Emrah Gurel/AP)

The prosecutor in the case against 26 Saudi nationals charged in the murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi has made a surprise request that their trial in absentia be suspended and the case be transferred to Saudi Arabia.

The panel of judges made no ruling on the prosecutor’s request but sent a letter to Turkey’s Justice Ministry seeking its opinion on the possible transfer of the file to the Saudi judicial authorities, according to the state-run Anadolu Agency. The trial was adjourned to a later date.