A human rights activist holds picture of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi during a protest outside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul
Media companies are pulling out of a Saudi investment conference as outrage grows over the journalist who went missing inside a Saudi consulate in Turkey earlier this month.
Economist Editor-In-Chief Zanny Minton Beddoes will not participate in the Future Investment Initiative conference in Riyadh, spokeswoman Lauren Hackett said in an email.
Andrew Ross Sorkin, a CNBC anchor and New York Times business journalist, tweeted that he was also not attending the conference, saying he was "terribly distressed by the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and reports of his murder."
The New York Times Co has also decided to pull out of the event as a media sponsor, spokeswoman Eileen Murphy said. The Financial Times said in a statement that it was reviewing its involvement as a media partner.
The chief executive officer of ride-sharing company Uber said late Thursday he will withdraw from a major business conference in Saudi Arabia as questions mount over the country’s role in the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, CNN Business reported."I'm very troubled by the reports to date about Jamal Khashoggi," Dara Khosrowshahi said in a statement."We are following the situation closely, and unless a substantially different set of facts emerges, I won't be attending the FII conference in Riyadh," he added.The report noted his announcement is significant because Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund is a big shareholder in Uber, investing $3.5 billion in the ride-hailing startup in 2016.The Future Investment Initiative is hosted by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and is part of his Vision 2030 plan to break the country's reliance on oil. Khosrowshahi was scheduled to speak about the future of transportation at the event, the report said.Possible last moments of missing Saudi journalist revealed Khosrowshahi is the latest high-profile figure to pull out of the conference due to increasing concerns about Washington Post journalist Khashoggi, who was also a critic of the Saudi regime. Other big names include Viacom CEO Bob Bakish and Ariana Huffington of The Huffington Post, according to the report.British billionaire Richard Branson said earlier Thursday that he was cutting business ties with the Saudi government over Khashoggi’s disappearance.Branson and his Virgin Group have suspended talks with Saudi Arabia on a proposed $1 billion investment in Virgin’s space companies.He said he would also be stepping down from his role as director of two Saudi tourism projects.Pompeo calls on Saudi govt to investigate Khashoggi disappearancePressure Saudis on Khashoggi case: Yemeni Nobel winner"What has reportedly happened in Turkey around the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, if proved true, would clearly change the ability of any of us in the West to do business with the Saudi Government," Branson 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.On the same day, 15 Saudis, including several officials, arrived in Istanbul on two planes and visited the consulate while Khashoggi was 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.
Uber CEO to skip Saudi conference over Khashoggi case
Viacom Inc, whose Chief Executive Officer Bob Bakish is slated to speak at the conference, said it was closely monitoring the situation in Saudi Arabia.
Other media companies slated to appear at the conference include CNN and Bloomberg according to the event's website.
The disappearance of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi on Oct. 2 has cast a shadow over the three-day conference known as "Davos in the desert," which is scheduled to begin on Oct. 23. The Post is owned by Amazon.com Inc founder and Chief Executive Jeff Bezos.
The event, in its sophomore year, attracts some of the world's business elite including Wall Street's top bosses and executives from multinational media, tech and financial services companies.
Turkish officials have alleged that Khashoggi was murdered inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul where he went to get documents for his planned marriage. Riyadh has said the claims are baseless.
JPMorgan Chase & Co CEO Jamie Dimon is scheduled to speak, as is Mastercard Inc CEO Ajay Banga. Representatives for both companies did not respond to requests for comment.
Khashoggi's disappearance has led officials and business leaders to drop out of another one of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman's large projects.
On Wednesday, former U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz said that he had suspended his role on the board of Saudi Arabia's planned mega business zone NEOM until more is known about what happened.
Moniz was named on Tuesday as one of 18 people advising the $500 billion NEOM project. The Crown Prince said last week that the NEOM business zone would build two to three towns each year starting in 2020 and be completed by 2025.
Video shows the moment missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi walked into the Saudi consulate on Oct. 2, the last time he was seen before he disappeared.
Footage shows Saudi journalist walking into consulate before disappearing