Reporters Without Borders, RSF, have welcomed the arrest of a suspect in the murder case of Jamal Khashoggi, a journalist in Paris.
This group said in a statement on Wednesday that this was a “test” for the countries involved in investigating the case.
Earlier on Tuesday, a former member of the Saudi royal guard was arrested in Paris for the murder of Khashoggi, based on an international arrest warrant.
Court proceedings against the 33-year-old suspect and 25 other Saudi citizens are ongoing in Istanbul.
If the suspect is extradited to Turkey, this will be a test for the Istanbul public prosecutor’s office and the Turkish government, which is trying to improve relations with Saudi Arabia, RSF Turkey representative Erol Onderoglu, told dpa.
“We call on authorities to do what is necessary without any hesitation in the interest of justice,” Onderoglu added.
Mr Khashoggi was killed on Oct. 2, 2018, in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul by a special commando from Riyadh.
The trial is so far seen as symbolic as it is being held in the absence of the accused.
The main defendants in the Istanbul court trial include a former close advisor to the Saudi Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, and the country’s former deputy chief of intelligence.
The suspect who is now being held in France was one of the last to leave the consulate in Istanbul, according to a Turkish indictment.
The charges against him include deliberately participating in the torture, killing, dismemberment and disappearance of the victim.
The next hearing in the case in Istanbul is scheduled for Feb. 24, 2022.
dpa/NAN
