A “death squad” dismembered a Saudi journalist and dissident on October 2, 2018 Jamal Khashoggi at his country’s consulate in Istanbul. Crime dominated the news and even promised to condemn Saudi Arabia to international exclusion. Five years later, this incident was forgotten due to the influence of the Arab monarchy on the world economy.
Washington Post columnist Khashoggi went to the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul to obtain the necessary documents to marry his fiancée, Hatice Cengiz. He never left the building..
The microphones placed by Turkish Intelligence in the building showed that the 59-year-old oppositionist Drugged, tortured and then dismembered with a chainsaw roaring to the beat of speakers playing music to mask the roar of the carnage.
Bin Salman’s role
The main person accused was the crown prince of Saudi Arabia. Mohammed bin Salmanand even the American CIA decided that it had sanctioned the murder, given its absolute power over the entire security apparatus of the kingdom.
However, the young prince had denied his involvement in the incident from the beginning.
“This was a mistake, it was painful, and we are doing our best to reform the system, comply and follow the rules. make sure everyone is safe“Bin Salmán said in an interview with the American broadcast channel FOX at the end of September.
president of turkey Recep Tayyip ErdoganSaudi Arabia, whose country is facing a serious economic crisis, refrained from turning the blame into a complete break with Saudi Arabia, saying only that “the order to kill Khashoggi came from the highest levels of the Saudi government.”
Only one presidential advisor publicly said the words that could be expected from a leader known for his harsh speeches like Erdoğan: Mohammed bin Salman.“His hands are stained with blood.”
In any case, Erdogan continued to declare that he would not allow the crime to be covered up in any way, and in March 2020, the Turkish Prosecutor’s Office filed a lawsuit against 20 Saudi citizens. He would later add six more defendants.
However, in March 2022, the Public Ministry resigned from continuing the investigation, and for Turkey, the case was closed with Erdogan’s visits to Saudi Arabia and Bin Salmán to Ankara, resulting in the Khashoggi incident being completely erased from public discourse in Turkey.
Khashoggi’s two deaths
Final sentencing for eight defendants in the murder in Riyadh was sealed in September 2020.
5 people were sentenced to deathHowever, at the request of the victim’s family, the sentence was commuted.
Agnes Callamard, the UN High Commissioner for Extrajudicial Executions, called the case a “farce” and a “parody of justice” in a decision that had no legitimacy as it was made after a process that was “neither fair nor transparent”. .
Crime occurs in countries such as the United States or Germany. Suspend arms sales to Saudi Arabia.
Joe Biden said the Arab kingdom would be treated as a “pariah” state in the 2020 election campaign.
Within two years, these restrictions became history. Germany allowed the purchase of ammunition for 35 million dollars, and the USA allowed the purchase of over 3 billion Patriot missiles.
In 2022, Bin Salmán was elected prime minister of the kingdom in order to provide him with diplomatic immunity from the world and, above all, from the United States, where he cannot be prosecuted.
“Cemal died again todayKhashoggi’s fiancee, who later accused Biden of “saving the murderer” of her future husband, said: “We thought maybe a light of justice could come from the USA. But still, the first thing is money.”
Although there was no end to the criticism, the international community preferred caution and consent.
A world power
Saudi Arabia has positioned itself as follows: one of the world’s greatest powersIt is mediating in the invasion of Ukraine, a war that Riyadh intensified after its intervention in 2015, and in conflicts in the Middle East, including Yemen.
The war in Ukraine has also highlighted Saudi influence in the energy sector and the world’s dependence on OPEC’s largest producer.
Meanwhile, the country is investing millions of dollars to develop the entertainment industry and signed contracts with the world’s biggest football stars, a practice condemned as “sportswashing”; Bin Salmán himself has acknowledged that they will continue to do so because it is a bet that will allow his country’s GDP to grow by “1%”.
Source: Informacion
James Sean is a writer for “Social Bites”. He covers a wide range of topics, bringing the latest news and developments to his readers. With a keen sense of what’s important and a passion for writing, James delivers unique and insightful articles that keep his readers informed and engaged.