Saudi regime Khashoggi murder cover-up and propaganda

This 27 March 2019 video says about itself:

Jamal Khashoggi: The Silencing of a Journalist | Al Jazeera World

On October 2, 2018, Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist working in the US for the Washington Post, entered his country’s consulate in Istanbul to process paperwork – and was never seen again.

On the same day, a 15-man Saudi hit squad had allegedly flown to Istanbul. All the evidence points to Khashoggi’s murder, suggesting that his body was first dismembered and then disposed of.

The killing of the well-known journalist and critic of Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has resonated around the world, both as an attack on media freedom and as a shocking insight into the workings of a secretive and repressive regime.

The horrific story has been well documented in the media but there are still pieces missing and serious questions remaining unanswered: What happened to the body? Why did two weeks pass before Turkish investigators were allowed into the consulate to examine forensic evidence? And who was ultimately responsible for the killing?

Al Jazeera Arabic’s Tamer Almisshal goes to Istanbul to try and find answers. He has pieced together the chronology of events – and examined the theories as to what may have happened to Khashoggi’s body.

In mid-March, Saudi Arabia announced it had started court proceedings against those it believes were involved.

Lower level civil service accomplices in the murder, made fall guys for Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The Kingdom still refuses to agree to a UN-led investigation, and despite the volume of powerful evidence, we still don’t know whether those ultimately responsible for Khashoggi’s death will ever be openly held to account.

Translated from Dutch NOS TV today:

International criticism of death sentences for Khashoggi murder

There has been a critical international response to the death sentences for five people in Saudi Arabia for the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Amnesty International speaks of a “sham that yields neither justice nor truth”.

Khashoggi’s fiancee, Hatice Cengiz, calls the judgments “too unlawful to be accepted.” The publisher of The Washington Post, the newspaper for which Khashoggi wrote columns, also says they are disappointed with the outcome. Chairman Fred Ryan writes that the course of events suggests that a “sham trial” has taken place.

Human rights expert Agnès Callamard, who investigated the murder for the United Nations, speaks in a series of tweets of a “mockery” and stated that those behind the crime “have hardly been touched by the investigation and the trial”.

Why the sentence today is anything BUT Justice for #JamalKhashoggi: a) the hearings were held behind closed door even though none of the justification for holding a trial in camera under international law applied to this particular trial

— Agnes Callamard (@AgnesCallamard) December 23, 2019

Christophe Deloire, Secretary General of Reporters Without Borders, says that the convictions can be seen as a way to “silence witnesses forever”.

Turkey, the country where the murder took place, also says that the lawsuit did not meet expectations. …

Khashoggi was murdered in October last year in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. He was there to prepare paperwork for his upcoming marriage. He was never seen again.

Later it turned out that he was probably killed by a Saudi death squad that awaited the journalist. His body is said to have been cut to pieces.

Khashoggi was known as a fierce critic of the Saudi crown prince Mohammed, who is held responsible for the murder by Western governments and the US American intelligence service CIA. …

Among the people who were acquitted is Saud al-Qahtani, a top adviser to the crown prince associated with the murder operation by the US.

The essential purpose of the sentences is to shield the Crown Prince and his advisors: here.

This 19 July 2019 video says about itself:

‘Credible evidence’ Saudi crown prince is responsible for Khashoggi killing, UN says

Evidence suggests that Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and other senior Saudi officials are responsible for the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a United Nations rights investigator said on Wednesday.

Read more here.

Also translated from Dutch NOS TV today:

Angry reactions to celebrities’ propagandaposts about Saudi festival

Those who follow many an influencer, actress, actor, top model or artist, could hardly get away from it last week: there was a large music festival in Saudi Arabia and there were posts about it on social media. The reports were mostly positive about the festival and about the country. The latter in particular got much criticism. …

The positive texts do not all seem to come from the heart. The organization says to press agency AP that money has been paid to influencers to advertise Saudi Arabia during or after the festival. … Who all were paid and what the amounts involved is unknown. …

“But according to critics, there is still much wrong with the country“, says NOS editor Hussein Sabir. “For example, women do not have as many rights as men, dissidents are tackled with great cruelty and there is a lot of criticism for the murder of journalist Khashoggi and the war in Yemen. The Saudis are now spending a lot of money on a large scale to improve their image by organizing festivals and concerts and bringing in major sporting events.”

Sabir: “Those large amounts of money are being spent while the country is also struggling with high unemployment, especially among young people.”

‘Propaganda’

The advertising by the celebrities was therefore not well received by many people. The popular account Diet Prada published a list of all influencers present and criticizes them for making “propaganda to restore the image of Saudi Arabia“.

It is also raining cats and dogs of criticism under the Instagram posts of some festivalgoers. “Is this really worth the money? Promote a country where there are so many human rights violations?” Someone writes. “Did you find Jamal Khashoggi‘s body when you were there?”