The world was greeted on October 2, 2018 with the shocking news of the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi, a fierce critic of the royal kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Khashoggi, who had self-exiled from his birth country Saudi Arabia and was living in the United States at the time, reportedly went to the Saudi consulate in Turkey to collect a document relating to his marriage who was scheduled for the next few days – with his Turkish fiancée waiting for him outside the main entrance – and never left the consulate.
Ever since then, the world has been asking Where is Jamal Khashoggi and what happened to him? So many theories are now in play, especially that of the Turkish government which claims that Mr Khashoggi was killed at the embassy with his dismembered body inside the consulate. This theory is supported by the claim that during the inspection of the consulate by a joint team of Saudi and Turkish officials on October 15, there was evidence of deliberate efforts to cover up a crime seen at the consulate.
The other theory insists that the journalist was kidnapped and brought back to Saudi Arabia. This is because Turkish officials have stated (with evidence to prove their case) that on the day Khashoggi disappeared, Saudi government agents, numbering about 15 in total, landed in Istanbul within two Gulfstream IV private jets linked to Saudi Arabia. throne. Officers reportedly waited for Mr. Khashoggi inside the consulate and abducted (or killed) him upon arrival.
In all of this, the Saudi government has consistently denied all allegations and theories that link them to his disappearance. According to Saudi officials, Jamal Khashoggi indeed entered the consulate through the main entrance, however, they insist he left through the back entrance. However, they still have to provide evidence to support their claim; and this suggestion also begs the question, why would he (Khashoggi) leave from the back since his fiancée was waiting for him at the main entrance?
Who is Jamal Khashoggi? – Biography,
Jamal Ahmad Khashoggi is a prominent journalist of Saudi origin. He also has ancestral ties to Turkey and has lived in the United States since June 2017 after going into exile from Saudi Arabia. The reason for his self-imposed exile is that he believed the atmosphere of free speech was stifled, which had become the case since Mohammed bin Salman, was announced as the crown prince to the royal throne of Saudi Arabia. Since the approval, the crown prince has aggressively sought to reduce criticism against the royal realm while seeking to open the kingdom up to the world.
Khashoggi was initially suspected of being a Saudi spy when he arrived in the United States, but has since established himself as a prominent critic of the current Saudi leadership, frequently criticizing Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s dominance of The Washington Post. He lived in the US state of Virginia and had recently purchased a house in Turkey with his upcoming marriage to a Turkish citizen, as he and his fiancee had agreed to commute between the US and Turkey.
Bien que sa date de naissance exacte ne soit pas connue,Khashoggi, né en 1958 à Médine, en Arabie saoudite, était le petit-fils de Muhammad Khashoggi qui a épousé une Saoudienne. Muhammad, un médecin, a servi le trône en tant que médecin personnel du fondateur du royaume d’Arabie saoudite, le roi Abdulaziz Al Saud. Élevé dans la péninsule, Jamal Khashoggi a fait ses études élémentaires et secondaires en Arabie saoudite avant de déménager aux États-Unis pour étudier l’administration des affaires. Il a obtenu son diplôme en 1982 avec un baccalauréat de l’Indiana State University, Indiana.
He began his career as a journalist working as a correspondent for the Saudi Gazette in 1983, then began reporting for several Arab newspapers between 1987 and 1990. Khashoggi had a few stints in Afghanistan, which explains how he became close to late Osama bin Laden. During his career, he was a foreign correspondent in several countries in the Middle East. During the terrorist attack on the United States on September 11, 2001, he was deputy editor of Arab News and his insights into Osama Bin Laden based on their relationship were invaluable.
He was considered highly controversial by his government and his critical views on Islamic extremists got him sacked as editor of the Saudi daily Al-Watan in 2003. In 2007 he was reappointed but was forced to resign in May 2010. Jamal Khashoggi worked as a political commentator for major international media such as Al Jazeera, BBC, Dubai TV and MBC before starting to write for The Washington Post in September 2018.
Fiancée and Family of the disappeared journalist
Jamal Khashoggi is said to have obtained a document that would validate his divorce from his first wife, Dr Alaa Nassif, with whom he shares two sons; one named Salah and the other, Abdullah. The reason for their divorce was given as the tension caused by the distance between them while he was away from Saudi Arabia in exile. More so, he had become engaged to 36-year-old Hatice Cengiz, also known as Khadijah, who is a Turkish citizen and a doctoral student.
His first family, however, denied Cengiz, Khashoggi’s fiancée and the last person to see him on the last day he was seen. They described her as an impostor, saying she was not known to the family. Khashoggi’s first wife, Alaa Nassif and his eldest son, Salah, gave interviews in this regard.
Why would Saudi Arabia assassinate Jamal Khashoggi?
Reasons have been put forward that would explain why the Royal Palace of Saudi Arabia could be involved in the disappearance and possibly death of Jamal Khashoggi. First, it is true that the Saudi Kingdom has taken a strong stance on freedom of speech, especially those critical of the crown; with some journalists already imprisoned in the country. And Jamal Khashoggi is known to be a very outspoken critic of the Saudi government led by the crown prince.
Additionally, Jamal Khashoggi was discovered to have ties to the Muslim Brotherhood which the Saudi government has labeled as a terrorist organization. The Muslim Brotherhood has always advocated for elections as a way to measure citizens’ choice of who rules them and so it may look threatening to the throne.
There is no certainty where he is or even if he is dead and despite all the many fingers pointed at the Saudi government, they have made it clear that the throne knows nothing of the journalist’s disappearance.