Murder of Jamal Khashoggi

Submission 6,275

Overview

The Murder of Jamal Khashoggi refers to an international controversy surrounding the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, an independent Saudi journalist by Saudi officials.

Background

On October 2nd, 2018, at around 1:15 p.m. journalist Jamal Khashoggi entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey (screen capture of security footage, below). Khashoggi, who was once a strong support of the Saudi royal family, has since written critical analysis of the government. According to the New York Times,^[1] he went to the consulate to certify his divorce, so that he could be married in Turkey on October 3rd. His fiancée waited for him for several hours outside, but he never exited the building.

Development

Official Response

Following his disappearance, Khashoggi's fiancee said that she believed he has been detained by the government of Saudi Arabia, of whom Khashoggi was vocal dissident. The government denied these allegations, which they called false. One Saudi official said, "Mr. Khashoggi visited the consulate to request paperwork related to his marital status and exited shortly thereafter […] [he] is not in the consulate nor in Saudi custody."^[2]

Turkish Response

Turkish investigators refuted the Saudi response to the disappearance. they believe that Khashoggi was assassinated in the consulate, an attack ordered by "the highest levels of the royal court." The New York Times reports, "The official described a quick and complex operation in which Mr. Khashoggi was killed within two hours of his arrival at the consulate by a team of Saudi agents, who dismembered his body with a bone saw they brought for the purpose."^[3]

Additionally, the Turkish government claims to have audio and video recordings that prove that he was killed in the consulate.

International Response

On October 13th, news magazine television series teased their interview with United States President Donald Trump. They wrote,^[4] "'There will be severe punishment.' In his first 60 Minutes interview since taking office, President Trump tells Lesley Stahl that if Saudi Arabia is found to be responsible for journalist Jamal Khashoggi's death, there will be consequences." The tweet received more than 1,900 retweets and 3,100 likes in two days (shown below).

Several days later, Trump tweeted,^[5] "Just spoke to the King of Saudi Arabia who denies any knowledge of whatever may have happened 'to our Saudi Arabian citizen.' He said that they are working closely with Turkey to find answer. I am immediately sending our Secretary of State to meet with King!" The tweet received more than 14,000 retweets and 49,000 likes in 24 hours (shown below).

Online Reaction

On October 11th, Redditor ^[6] coexistnot posted about the disappearance in the /r/news subreddit. The post received more than 37,000 points (93% upvoted) and 2,800 comments in four days.

The following day, Redditor^[7] instantreporter posted about the disappearance in the /r/worldnews subreddit, where it received more than 109,000 points (95% upvoted) and 6,300 comments.

Media Coverage

Virtually all media outlets covered the disappearance, including ABC,^[8] The Washington Post,^[9] The Wall Street Journal,^[10] The Guardian,^[11] CNN^[12] and more.