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Dubai, United Arab Emirates – A Saudi journalist who wrote columns of the Washington Post and criticized the crown prince of the kingdom disappeared after visiting the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, the newspaper said Wednesday, which worried for his security. The personal website of Jamal Khashoggi carried a banner saying "Jamal was arrested at the consulate of Saudi Arabia in Istanbul!" without elaborating.
According to the Post, the journalist's friends were worried "after losing contact with him" Tuesday after his visit to the consulate.
Saudi officials in Washington and Riyadh did not immediately respond to requests for comments from the Associated Press. However, since he came to power, 33 – year – old Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has seen a considerable number of businessmen, politicians and activists arrested.
"We have not been able to join Jamal today and we are very worried about his fate," said the editor of international postings, Eli Lopez, in a statement. "It would be unfair and scandalous if he were detained for his work as a journalist and commentator, we hope he'll be safe and we'll be able to hear him soon."
Khashoggi, 59, is a longtime Saudi journalist, correspondent, editor and columnist. His work has been controversial in the past in the ultra-conservative Sunni kingdom. He exiled himself to the United States as a result of Prince Mohammed, now on the throne of King Salman, 82 years old.
As a contributor to the post office, Khashoggi wrote extensively about Saudi Arabia, including criticizing his war in Yemen, his recent diplomatic clash with Canada and his arrest women's rights activists after the lifting of the ban on women driving.
"The arrests highlight the plight of all Saudis, and we are being asked to give up hope for political freedom and to remain silent about the arrests and travel bans that affect not only critics but also also their families, "wrote Khashoggi in a May 21 column. for the post office. "We are supposed to vigorously applaud social reforms and congratulate the Crown Prince while avoiding any reference to the Saudi pioneers who dared to tackle these problems decades ago."
On Tuesday, Khashoggi entered the consulate to get the paperwork he needed to marry his Turkish bride next week, leaving her on the outside with his cell phone, a friend of the Associated Press told AFP. 39; writer. Middle East embassies routinely require phones to be left outside as a security measure.
According to the BBC News, his fiancée would have waited in front of the consulate until the closure of the consulate. Khashoggi had not come back. "I do not know what's going on, I do not know if he's inside or if they've taken him somewhere else," she told Reuters.
The Turkish police then went to the consulate and watched two surveillance cameras located outside, which would have shown that Khashoggi had entered the building, but never left, said the police. friend.
A Turkish security official said on Wednesday that authorities are in talks with Saudi consular officials about Khashoggi's situation.
"Our efforts are continuing," said the official without further details. The manager spoke on condition of anonymity, in accordance with the regulations prohibiting officials from addressing journalists without prior permission.
Khashoggi was known for his talks and trips with Osama bin Laden between 1987 and 1995, including in Afghanistan, where he wrote about the battle against the Soviet occupation. In the early 1990s, he tried to persuade Bin Laden to reconcile with the Saudi royal family and return home from his base in Sudan, but the al-Qaida leader refused.
Khashoggi has maintained links with the Saudi elite and has launched a satellite news channel, Al-Arab, since Bahrain in 2015 with the support of Saudi billionaire, Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal. The channel remained on the air less than 11 hours before being closed. His support, a billionaire, was arrested during the Ritz Carlton roundup led by Prince Mohammed in 2017.
"Currently, Saudi citizens no longer understand the reason for the wave of incessant arrests," Khashoggi wrote in a column on August 7. "These arbitrary arrests force many people to shut up and some others have even left the country noiselessly."
He gave this advice to the kingdom: "There is a better way for the kingdom to avoid Western critics: simply release human rights activists and put an end to unnecessary arrests that have weakened the human rights of people." Saudi image ".
