Saudi journalist "missing"

[Grafenwalder]

Saudi dissident and journalist Jamal Khashoggi walks into the Saudi consulate in Turkey last week only to end up "missing" after no contact since. Turkish news media publishes video footage of what it claims is an "assassination squad" arriving by private plane from SA who visited the consulate, then left Turkey the same day. Also video footage of 'suspicious movements' outside the Saudi consulate in Turkey.

Apparently Khashoggi is (was?) an outspoken critic of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman. Meantime it's thrown the west into a bit of a quandry dancing around and wringing their hands.

https://www.channel4.com/news/jamal-kha ... appearance

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/10/ ... 42286.html

[Stooo]

A very valuable person. I doubt that he will be killed quickly.

[Rolluplostinspace]

A very valuable person. I doubt that he will be killed quickly.

Buried up to his neck in the desert with his eyelids cut off?

[calitom]

I think the price will be about 50 million US dollars. intact.

[Grafenwalder]

Maybe his Apple watch might give some trail? Turkish intelligence are working on what it may have transmitted to his fiances phone. Get GCHQ on the job...they're pretty hot at harvesting stuff off phones!

[Cannydc]

Maybe his Apple watch might give some trail? Turkish intelligence are working on what it may have transmitted to his fiances phone. Get GCHQ on the job...they're pretty hot at harvesting stuff off phones!

Better still, call in Murdoch / NewsCorp - it's a speciality.

[LordRaven]

Saudi dissident and journalist Jamal Khashoggi walks into the Saudi consulate in Turkey last week only to end up "missing" after no contact since. Turkish news media publishes video footage of what it claims is an "assassination squad" arriving by private plane from SA who visited the consulate, then left Turkey the same day. Also video footage of 'suspicious movements' outside the Saudi consulate in Turkey.

Apparently Khashoggi is (was?) an outspoken critic of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman. Meantime it's thrown the west into a bit of a quandry dancing around and wringing their hands.

https://www.channel4.com/news/jamal-kha ... appearance

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/10/ ... 42286.html

My mad German mate was telling me about this story recently. I was astounded because I had wrongly thought the person responsible was a modernising influence.

[wutang]

I was astounded because I had wrongly thought the person responsible was a modernising influence.

The Saudi ruling elite are always painting themselves as 'modernising influences' yet continuing to be fucking psychopaths. Its just PR so UK/US can continue to arm them without looking like arseholes

[LordRaven]

I was astounded because I had wrongly thought the person responsible was a modernising influence.

The Saudi ruling elite are always painting themselves as 'modernising influences' yet continuing to be fucking psychopaths. Its just PR so UK/US can continue to arm them without looking like arseholes

I was reading an article which suggested that all the religious police and leaders have been stripped of powers and women now have more freedoms, so I guess some good is coming out of this.

As for a high profile chap being murdered? I am pretty disgusted by the lack of information in this matter.

[wutang]

I was reading an article which suggested that all the religious police and leaders have been stripped of powers and women now have more freedoms, so I guess some good is coming out of this.

Except the regime is even more extreme in its rule by fear mantra:

Repression in Saudi Arabia has reached a new level
It appears that nowhere is safe for Saudi dissidents

https://www.economist.com/middle-east-a ... -new-level

Since Muhammad bin Salman became crown prince of Saudi Arabia last year, thousands of dissidents have been jailed, often for offences as slight as failing to tweet royal talking points. The geographical scope of the repression is also expanding. Last month a Saudi satirist in London claimed he had been beaten by thugs from the Saudi embassy.

But rather than courting support, Prince Muhammad is ruling by fear. For all his promises of due process, most political prisoners are held without trial. They are the lucky ones. Essam al-Zamil, an economist, was reportedly charged with terrorism after questioning the proposed sale of part of the national oil company, which has since been postponed. The public prosecutor has called for Israa al-Ghomgham, a women’s rights activist, to be executed. He wants Salman al-Awdah, once the country’s most popular television preacher, to be killed too. Some whisper that Prince Muhammad has launched an inquisition.

"Launched an inquisition"... sound ominous

Its almost as if he scrapped the religious police not because he believes in freedom but because they were a rival power block getting in the way of his own ultra-authoritarian plans

[Grafenwalder]

BBC now announcing on news bulletins Turkey has evidence Khashoggi was murdered in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.

Either this is the west ramping up the pressure, or a serious game changer if true.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-45838471

[wutang]

The Saudi ruling elite are always painting themselves as 'modernising influences' yet continuing to be fucking psychopaths. Its just PR so UK/US can continue to arm them without looking like arseholes

Just to back this up here is a twitter thread highlighting 70 years of propaganda from The New York Times describing Saudi Royals as 'progressive reformers'

https://twitter.com/anhistorian/status/ ... 8816399361


One from 1953

[Grafenwalder]

Turkish officials were allowed into the consulate in Ankara only after Saudi staff, consular visitors and a team of cleaners equipped with mops, buckets and disinfectant had been allowed into the building.

Staggering!

https://www.channel4.com/news/trump-say ... appearance

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/ ... e-istanbul

[Maddog]

Turkish officials were allowed into the consulate in Ankara only after Saudi staff, consular visitors and a team of cleaners equipped with mops, buckets and disinfectant had been allowed into the building.

Staggering!

https://www.channel4.com/news/trump-say ... appearance

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/ ... e-istanbul

There is likely nothing left of him but a puddle of liquid, poured into a pond somewhere.

Meanwhile, my favorite representative.........



Rep. Justin Amash (R–Mich.) wants to hold Saudi Arabia responsible for the disappearance and possible death of Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist critical of his country's government. On Twitter today, Amash said he's cosponsoring legislation that would block U.S. military assistance and arms sales to Saudi Arabia unless the kingdom is found to have had no involvement in Khashoggi's disappearance.


The bill was introduced yesterday by Rep. Jim McGovern, the ranking Democrat on the House Rules Committee. It's cosponsored by six other Democrats and two Republicans: Amash and Rep. Thomas Massie (R–Ky.).

https://reason.com/blog/2018/10/17/just ... Nf_8K-CPe8

Don't expect this to go anywhere, but it's always good to acknowledge those who are trying.

[Grafenwalder]

Turkish officials were allowed into the consulate in Ankara only after Saudi staff, consular visitors and a team of cleaners equipped with mops, buckets and disinfectant had been allowed into the building.

Staggering!

https://www.channel4.com/news/trump-say ... appearance

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/ ... e-istanbul

There is likely nothing left of him but a puddle of liquid, poured into a pond somewhere.

Meanwhile, my favorite representative.........

Rep. Justin Amash (R–Mich.) wants to hold Saudi Arabia responsible for the disappearance and possible death of Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist critical of his country's government. On Twitter today, Amash said he's cosponsoring legislation that would block U.S. military assistance and arms sales to Saudi Arabia unless the kingdom is found to have had no involvement in Khashoggi's disappearance.

The bill was introduced yesterday by Rep. Jim McGovern, the ranking Democrat on the House Rules Committee. It's cosponsored by six other Democrats and two Republicans: Amash and Rep. Thomas Massie (R–Ky.).

https://reason.com/blog/2018/10/17/just ... Nf_8K-CPe8

Don't expect this to go anywhere, but it's always good to acknowledge those who are trying.

No i doubt it will and UK is in a similar position re. arms sales though the problem with that is contractual obligations meaning anything which was signed before this mess of affairs would still have to be met, or risk being sued by the Saudis! And even if US/UK did block sales of arms, the Saudis would just go elsewhere. What US could do is slap tariffs on oil (Trump likes doing that but only with China!), but you guys like your mega cheap fuel so it wouldn't prove much of a vote winner!

I don't know why SA continue denying Khashoggi's disappearance when it's obvious not all is well. Turkish police are now searching a forest on the outskirts of Istanbul after one of the vehicles belonging to the alleged 'hit squad' was seen entering on cctv. Also one of the alleged 'hit squad assassins has been killed in Riyadh in what's described as a 'mysterious' car crash.