Missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi
Jamal Khashoggi, the Saudi dissident who went missing last week after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, tweeted about a range of critical regional issues in the days leading up to his (as-yet-unexplained) disappearance.
Along with the Palestine-Israel issue, the crisis in Syria, and Iranian intervention in the Arab world, Khashoggi also alluded to U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent suggestion that Saudi Arabia pay the U.S. for the protection it provides.
أغادر لندن وفلسطين في البال، حضرت مؤتمرا وتعرفت على باحثين وناشطين مؤمنين بعدالة قضيتها من أطراف الارض.
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رغم قوة اللوبي الاسرائيلي الذي حاصر اَي تعاطف معها الا ان صوتها لا يزال عاليا هنا.
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في عالمنا يحاولون تغييب فلسطين لكسر الغضب فينا ولكنها حاضرة في ضمير كل مواطن … وان صمت. pic.twitter.com/qnOF5ZyUgu
After taking part in a pro-Palestine seminar in London, Khashoggi tweeted on Oct. 1 (only one day before his disappearance): “I am leaving London and Palestine is still on my mind. I attended a conference where I met [pro-Palestinian] researchers and activists from all over the world who believe in the justice of their cause”.
He added: "Despite the power of the Israeli lobby [in the U.K.] … the voice of Palestine is still loud here. They are trying to marginalize the Palestinian cause … but it remains ever-present in the popular conscience."
Khashoggi also tweeted several times about the arrest of his friend Essam al-Zamel, a prominent Saudi businessman and economy expert, by the Saudi authorities.
"Essam doesn't deserve such treatment,” Khashoggi asserted. “The accusations leveled against him don’t convince anyone!"
قبل اعتقاله بيومين، كان عصام ضمن وفدا من #مركز_أداء بواشنطن يساعدهم بخبرته ويجول معهم على مؤسسات أمريكية للاستفادة من خبراتها @essamz لا يستحق هكذا معاملة وهكذا اتهامات لم تقنع أحداً ! pic.twitter.com/vQubNDEoOG
The Saudi authorities accuse al-Zamel -- an outspoken critic of Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman’s “reform” initiative -- of maintaining covert affiliations with the Qatari government (with which Riyadh severed relations last year) and of having links to the Muslim Brotherhood (which Riyadh considers a “terrorist group”).
Late last year, the Saudi authorities detained dozens of people -- including a number of princes and cabinet ministers (both former and current) -- in a massive "anti-corruption" sweep.
Saudi billionaire investor Prince Alwaleed bin Talal and Prince Miteb bin Abdullah, minister for the Saudi National Guard, were among those rounded up.
Only two months earlier, the Saudi authorities had launched a campaign targeting several Saudi intellectuals and Muslim scholars, including Salman al-Awda, Safar al-Hawali and Ali Al-Omari.
In the days leading up to his disappearance, Khashoggi had also tweeted about his country’s dwindling role in Syria and alleged plans by the Saudi leadership to normalize ties with the Assad regime.
"Those who want to restore the Arab role in Syria should not do so through an Iranian ally [i.e., the Assad regime], which has forfeited its legitimacy and relinquished [the country’s] sovereignty...," Khashoggi tweeted on Sept. 30.
Saudi Arabia had been one of the main supporters of the Syrian uprising that began in 2011 and which later erupted into full-blown conflict -- involving numerous regional and international actors -- after the Assad regime cracked down on protesters with unexpected ferocity.
In a Sept. 27 tweet, Khashoggi urged the Saudi leadership to review its Syria policy, saying that “the only way to get Iran out of our [Arab] world is to support the Syrian revolution and a pluralistic system in Yemen”.
For the past three years, Saudi Arabia -- at the head of an Arab military coalition -- has been fighting a destructive war with Shia rebels in Yemen who Riyadh accuses of serving as Iranian proxies.
Khashoggi also urged the Saudi leadership to support the "the Arab people’s desire for freedom”.
"The [Arab] people dislike the Iranian regime… as much as the regimes they rose up against in 2011 [in the so-called ‘Arab Spring’ uprisings]," Khashoggi declared.
As for Trump's recent suggestion that the Saudi regime pay for the protection the U.S. provides, Khashoggi tweeted: "Trump himself is the biggest threat."
In another tweet, Khashoggi voiced his belief that the “biggest threat” facing the Gulf States and their oil “is a president like Trump, who sees us merely as a source of oil”.
Since Khashoggi went missing on Oct. 2, speculation has mounted that he was killed by the Saudi authorities, who have yet to provide a convincing explanation for his disappearance.
Meanwhile, several countries -- including Turkey, the U.S. and the U.K. -- have continued to press Riyadh for clarification.
According to Khashoggi’s Turkish fiancée, Hatice Cengiz, he first visited the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Sept. 28.
After being told his documents would be ready after one week, Khashoggi briefly visited London before returning to Istanbul on Oct. 1.
The following day, he entered the consulate and has not been seen since.
On the same day as his disappearance, 15 Saudi officials arrived in Istanbul, where they went to the consulate while Khashoggi was still presumably inside, according to Turkish police sources.
France's foreign ministry said on Friday that it had asked Saudi Arabian authorities to provide transparent and detailed answers over the fate of veteran Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi after he disappeared in Turkey."The disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul ... has raised serious questions about his fate. France asks that the facts be clearly established and that all those who can contribute to the truth fully contribute to it," Foreign ministry spokeswoman Agnes Von der Muhll said in a statement."This is the message we passed to Saudi authorities. The charges brought against them require that they be transparent and provide a complete and detailed response."Germany urges Riyadh to cooperate on missing journalistTurkish security forces to dig up Istanbul sites in search of Khashoggi remainsSaudi delegation arrives in Ankara for Khashoggi probeTurkey has recordings proving Khashoggi was killed inside Saudi consulate: Washington PostTrump: Khashoggi disappearance no reason to stop Saudi investments
France raises pressure on Saudi over Khashoggi disappearance
A delegation from Saudi Arabia arrived in Turkey’s capital, Ankara, on Friday for the investigation into the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi.On Thursday, Turkish Presidential Spokesman Ibrahim Kalın said Turkey had accepted a Saudi proposal to form a joint working group to investigate the case of Khashoggi.Khashoggi has been missing since Oct. 2, when he visited the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, amid speculation he was killed.Saudi authorities have yet to give a clear explanation on the fate of Khashoggi as several countries -- particularly Turkey, the U.S. and the U.K. -- press for clarification.Turkey has recordings proving Khashoggi was killed inside Saudi consulate: Washington PostTrump: Khashoggi disappearance no reason to stop Saudi investmentsMedia companies, journalists drop out of Saudi event after Khashoggi disappearanceBranson halts Saudi business talks over Khashoggi case
Saudi delegation arrives in Ankara for Khashoggi probe
Turkey has audio and video recordings proving that journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, The Washington Post reported on Thursday.“The recordings show that a Saudi security team detained Khashoggi in the consulate after he walked in Oct. 2 to obtain an official document before his upcoming wedding, then killed him and dismembered his body,” The Washington Post said.Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist, has not been heard from since Oct. 2 when he visited the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, amid speculation he was killed by Saudi authorities.Trump: Khashoggi disappearance no reason to stop Saudi investments“You can hear his voice and the voices of men speaking Arabic,” this person said. “You can hear how he was interrogated, tortured and then murdered.Turkish officials have divulged the contents of the recordings to U.S. officials, according to The Washington Post.On the same day Khashoggi went missing, 15 Saudis, including several officials, arrived in Istanbul on two planes and visited the consulate while he was also inside, police sources said. All of the identified individuals have since left Turkey.Media companies, journalists drop out of Saudi event after Khashoggi disappearanceU.S. President Donald Trump expressed concern on Tuesday over Khashoggi’s disappearance.“I am concerned about it. I don’t like hearing about it. Hopefully that will sort itself out. Right now nobody knows anything about it. But there’s some pretty bad stories going around. I do not like it,” Trump told reporters on the White House lawn as he was returning from a trip by helicopter to Orlando, Florida.Saudi authorities have yet to give a clear explanation of Khashoggi’s fate, while several countries -- particularly Turkey, the U.S. and the UK -- have expressed their desire that the matter should be elucidated as soon as possible.Europe wants full probe over missing Saudi journalist'Joint Turkish-Saudi team to probe missing journo case'
Turkey has recordings proving Khashoggi was killed inside Saudi consulate: Washington Post
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday he saw no reason to block Saudi Arabian investments in the United States despite concern over a missing Saudi journalist, saying the Gulf nation would then just move its money into Russia and China.Trump, speaking to reporters at the White House, also said the United States was expecting a report soon on the journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, but gave no other details.Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist, has not been heard from since Oct. 2 when he visited the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, amid speculation he was killed by Saudi authorities.Video: Trump: Khashoggi disappearance no reason to stop Saudi investmentsOn the same day, 15 Saudis, including several officials, arrived in Istanbul on two planes and visited the consulate while Khashoggiwas also inside, police sources said. All of the identified individuals have since left Turkey.Saudi authorities have yet to give a clear explanation of Khashoggi’s fate, while several countries -- particularly Turkey, the U.S. and the UK -- have expressed their desire that the matter should be elucidated as soon as possible.Media companies, journalists drop out of Saudi event after Khashoggi disappearanceEurope wants full probe over missing Saudi journalistUber CEO to skip Saudi conference over Khashoggi case'Joint Turkish-Saudi team to probe missing journo case'Branson halts Saudi business talks over Khashoggi case
Trump: Khashoggi disappearance no reason to stop Saudi investments