A Turkish court has suspended the trial in absentia of 26 Saudis accused of the gruesome killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi and said the case should be transferred to Saudi Arabia.
The decision comes despite warnings from human rights groups that turning the case over to the kingdom would lead to a cover up of the killing which has cast suspicion on Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
It also comes as Turkey, which is facing an economic downturn, has been trying to repair its troubled relationship with Saudi Arabia and other countries in the region.
Some media reports have claimed that Riyadh has made improved relations conditional on Turkey dropping the case against the Saudis.
Mr Khashoggi, who wrote critically…