Turkey's Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag stated that the Turkish court's decision to stop proceedings in the case of slain opposition Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi is legal.

Bozdag tweeted that "the court's decision to suspend and adjourn proceedings in the Jamal Khashoggi case is lawful... Despite knowing this truth, the opposite claim of some politicians is a distorted interpretation made with political calculation."

Last week, a Turkish court 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.

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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. 

In December, a source close to Saudi intelligence divulged that the Saudi hit squad convicted of killing Jamal Khashoggi are actually enjoying their freedom comfortably in "seven-star" establishments inside a government-funded compound in Riyadh.

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. 

Read more: Amnesty International warns of sending Khashoggi's file to KSA