Turkey Pledges Accountability in Saudi Probe; Critics Wonder

By CHRISTOPHER TORCHIA

(AP) - Under global scrutiny, Turkey vows to get to the bottom of the alleged killing of a Saudi journalist at the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul. But some observers see a double standard in promises of transparency from a government accused of stifling freedom of expression.

Since an attempted coup in 2016, critics say President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has turned Turkey into an increasingly authoritarian state, using emergency powers to arrest tens of thousands of suspects and jail dozens of journalists.

Officials say Turkey has followed the law and international agreements and taken "open and transparent actions" in the Khashoggi case.

But getting less international attention this week were Turkish media reports that an Istanbul court issued a "red notice" for two journalists abroad on espionage charges.