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A week after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, the veteran Saudi journalist Washington Post Columnist Jamal Khashoggi is still missing as reports of a possible assassination by order of the Saudi government. The many lawmakers, journalists, and American activists who came to regard the former Saudi royal court advisor as an independent voice essential to political developments in his native country, and more particularly to the controversial policy of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman asked for answers to their questions. the Saudi government. They met only official denials of any Saudi involvement.
If it is shown that the Saudi government was ultimately implicated in Khashoggi's mistreatment, let alone his death, the big question would be why. At a time when Mohammed bin Salman spent billions of dollars reorganizing his image abroad, why would Saudi Arabia attack a well-known writer who had established himself? a house in Washington? Even senior commentators who have previously hailed Mohammed bin Salman's reforms have warned that the kidnapping and possibly killing of Khashoggi would be a disaster for the Saudis.
It is easier to understand the reason for being the alleged act when it is properly considered part of a larger pattern. Khashoggi's rise to power was part of an unprecedented – and generally underestimated – development of Saudi Arabia's recent history that Mohammad bin Salman viewed as a threat to his reign: more more Saudis than ever before fled the kingdom, many asylum in Western countries.
The trend began when the young prince took power in 2015, when he became defense minister, and continued as the Crown Prince in June 2017. According to the data from the US Department of Homeland Security, 47 Saudis got asylum during the fiscal year. 2016, compared with 39 and 33 the two previous years. Figures tended to be below 10 in the years following 11 September and 20 after the Arab Spring. No other Gulf country has seen such an increase in the number of asylum seekers. The numbers, which are small compared to other countries in the region, appear to be only a minor indicator of a larger trend. Activists and officials said that a large number of political dissidents lived in voluntary exile, without formally demanding asylum, as Khashoggi did, and many more are running for office.
The reasons why the Saudis flee are just as important. While they formerly tended to leave because of social oppression related to sectarian tensions or discrimination against gender or sexual orientation, the Saudis are going away from it. in addition because they feel that their freedom of expression, especially the right to criticize their government, is unduly restricted at home. That's why they sought to live abroad, beyond the reach of Riyadh, where they can and speak freely.
The Saudi government reacted by attempting to intimidate the growing number of expatriates. This has become evident in Canada, which recently found itself in a diplomatic quarrel with Riyadh over its human rights record and is one of the countries that has seen a rise in the number of claimants. Saudi asylum. According to local Canadian media, at least 20 students are seeking asylum in Canada after defying government orders to return home immediately or stop talking to the media about their ordeal.
Even in Canada, some Saudis say that they are still not safe. The case of Omar Abdulaziz, a Saudi national with political asylum in Canada, highlights the circumstances of Khashoggi's disappearance. Abdulaziz says that he was approached in August by two men carrying a verbal message from Mohammed bin Salman asking him to return home, where he would be officially safe from harm. After refusing to return, two of his brothers and a handful of his friends were stopped. Saudis living in exile believe that such attempts are meant to keep critics out of the country and are suspicious of other Saudis who approach them with similar messages.
"Yes [you] Do not go with the government, you are perceived as a traitor. The number of dissidents is unprecedented, "said a Saudi national living in exile in the United States. "I know a lot of people who have been deceived to go home and who were later arrested. This has been done [many times]. I guess it's a traditional practice to trick people into coming back.
In our country, the number of Saudis punished for dissent is staggering. A senior Gulf country official allied to Saudi Arabia said that several thousand Saudi public figures had been gathered since last September, which is far from the figures reported by local and international media. Most of those who were gathered were released after signing a statement in which they pledged not to criticize the government. Saudi citizens aware of the process say that people have been forced to sign.
According to their families, those arrested in Saudi Arabia have also been asked to make similar pledges, or even to spread pro-government messages on social media to millions of supporters, in some cases. As a result, Saudi public figures tend to echo government rhetoric, stay out of politics or face indefinite prison terms.
Yahya Assiri, a Saudi human rights activist residing in the United Kingdom, said the summons even targeted influential fashion figures to ensure they did not turn away from the country's favorite political narrative. country in their public statements.
"You have no choice but to sign," Khashoggi told me a month before he disappeared. Khashoggi began hearing about his friends called to sign similar promises a year ago before moving to the United States. As the country continued to tighten its grip on freedom of expression, he decided to pack his bags and leave. "We are not in America or Switzerland. If you do not sign, you can be sued and go to jail. The arrests are aimed at controlling the narrative and spreading fear and intimidation, "said Khashoggi. However, he may have underestimated the government's determination to control what the growing number of Saudi citizens living abroad are doing and saying.
The mystery surrounding the disappearance of Khashoggi may exacerbate the problem of Saudi dissent under the regime of Mohammad bin Salman. Saudis abroad have become too scared to return home or even to visit the supervised missions of their country. Over the weekend, for example, Mohamed al-Qahtani, a former Saudi prosecutor, lawyer and Saudi government adviser currently residing in the United Kingdom, posted a video on Twitter announcing his adherence to the Saudi opposition, thus declaring his own exile.
The Trump administration praised the liberalization reforms allegedly introduced by Mohammad bin Salman, and many hoped that his energetic leadership would solve the country's many thorny problems. In fact, his policy has focused more on individuals known for their reforms. Many of these reform-minded people are now in prison. And while others are settling abroad, the Saudi government shows that it is ready to hunt them down if it serves to intimidate other critics wherever they live.
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