A Turkish court, on Thursday, confirmed to halt the trial - though in the absence of 26 suspects linked to the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi - and has authorized its transfer to Riyadh.

"We decided to halt and hand over the case to Saudi Arabia," the court judge announced. 

This comes at a time when Turkey is desperate for investment to help it recover from its economic crisis. Ankara has openly attempted to mend relations with Riyadh.

See more: The Economic Crisis in Turkey

On October 2, 2018, the 59-year-old journalist was murdered inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in an incident of horrific manslaughter that sparked international outrage that continues to reverberate, with Western intelligence agencies accusing Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman of authorizing the killing. 

Last week, Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag stated that he would approve a Turkish prosecutor's request to transfer the case to Saudi Arabia.

According to the prosecutor, the case was "dragging" because the court's orders could not be carried out due to the fact that the defendants were foreigners.

Human Rights Watch, on the other hand, slammed Ankara on Wednesday, saying the decision will "end any possibility of justice."

Michael Page, the group's deputy Middle East director, said that transferring the trial would also "reinforce Saudi authorities' apparent belief that they can get away with murder”.

Amnesty International, whose head Agnes Callamard investigated the murder as a UN special rapporteur in 2019, also strongly condemned the Turkish government's decision.