By Ian Dunkley
Journalism and freedom of press are integral to the foundation of the free world. As such it is vital to protect our freedom of speech and the right to report on the events of the world. Journalism has become so important to modern society that DC officials have renamed a street name in honor of Washington Post journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, in protest against his murder on October 2nd, 2018.
Jamal Khashoggi was a journalist, specifically known for his criticism of the Saudi Arabian government. Mr. Khashoggi was best known for his work covering the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the rise of Osama Bin Laden, the late leader of al-Qaeda. He wasn’t always in opposition with the Saudi Arabian government, in fact, for years he worked as an advisor to the government. He was also close with the royal family, until his self-inflicted exile to the United States in 2017.
Once in the States, Mr. Khashoggi worked as a writer for the Washington Post. Through this platform, he began to voice his criticism of the Saudi government and the policies of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salma. Although he frequently wrote about his fears of being arrested, he was forced to visit a Saudi consulate located in Istanbul, Turkey, to pick up divorce paperwork. He visited the consulate on September 28th, 2018, and he was instructed to return on October 2nd to receive the paperwork. He returned to the consulate with his finance Ms Cengiz and told her to wait for him. “He did not believe that something bad could happen on Turkish soil,” Ms Cengiz wrote. Mr. Khashoggi was last seen entering the building on CCTV footage.
Using this footage as evidence, the Saudi government denied any involvement in Mr. Khashoggi’s disappearance. Prince Mohammed of the royal family even went as far as to say that he had left the consulate. “after a few minutes or one hour [...] We have nothing to hide”. This official sequence of events was propagated for more than two weeks. Then on October 20th investigations revealed that Mr. Khashoggi had in fact died of an overdose. It was speculated that this occurred during a struggle where he was injected with a large dose of drugs. A local collaborator then was brought in to dispose of his corpse.
In the end, five people admitted to the murder while another 21 were arrested. Those involved denied the prince’s involvement with the murder, “[The crown prince] did not have any knowledge about it”. Five senior government officials were removed in response to the controversy. Punishment was harsh. Five people were sentenced to death and another 3 were given 24-year prison sentences. Only 3 of the accused were found to be innocent. These sentences have been controversial, with several arguments about the severity of the punishments, and others claiming the operation goes higher than a rogue group.
Ms Callamard , a human rights advocate, said the trial represented “the antithesis of justice”, where the “masterminds” were never caught. Unfortunately, no definite answers can be provided as the case continues to evolve.
Recently, yet another suspect has been apprehended in Paris. The suspect’s name is Khaled Aedh Alotaibi and he was a member of the Royal Guard. The reason for his arrest came from his proximity to the location of Mr. Khashoggi’s murder. Mr. Khaled arrived at the consulate on October 2nd and was staying in the consulate’s general residential area. The importance of his arrest was that he may have answers to questions that the other convicted offenders do not. Being a member of the Royal Guard puts the suspect in connection with higher government officials. As the story is still evolving, perhaps this breakthrough will finally solve the level of involvement of the Saudi Arabian government.
