RIYADH – A veteran Saudi journalist who has been critical of the governmenthas gone missing after visiting the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul onTuesday, the Washington Post reported.
Jamal Khashoggi, who writes opinion pieces for the Post, has not been seensince entering the consulate in the afternoon, according to his fiance whoaccompanied him but waited outside until it closed, the newspaper said.
Khashoggi, a former government advisor who went into self-imposed exile inthe United States last year to avoid possible arrest, has been critical ofsome of the policies of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Riyadh’sintervention in the war in Yemen.
“We have been unable to reach Jamal today and are very concerned aboutwhere he may be,” the Post’s international opinions editor Eli Lopez saidin a statement.
“We are monitoring the situation closely, trying to gather moreinformation. It would be unfair and outrageous if he has been detained forhis work as a journalist and commentator.”
The US State Department said it was investigating.
“We have seen these reports and are seeking more information at this time,”an official said.
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Khashoggi has written pieces critical of some of the crown prince’spolicies and said that before he left the kingdom the Saudi governmentbanned him from Twitter “when I cautioned against an overly enthusiasticembrace of then-President-elect Donald Trump”.
In a Global Opinions piece for the Post in September last year, Khashoggiwrote: “When I speak of the fear, intimidation, arrests and public shamingof intellectuals and religious leaders who dare to speak their minds, andthen I tell you that I’m from Saudi Arabia are you surprised?”
Saudi Arabia , which ranks 169th out of 180 on an RSF World Press FreedomIndex, has promoted a modernization campaign since the 2017 appointment ofPrince Mohammed as heir to the throne.
But the ultraconservative kingdom, which won plaudits in June for finallylifting a ban on women driving, has drawn heavy criticism for its handlingof dissent. – APP/AFP
