Saudi journalist, also a govt critic, goes 'missing in Turkey'
A veteran Saudi journalist who has been critical of the government has gone missing after visiting the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, the Washington Post reported. Jamal Khashoggi, who writes opinion pieces for the Post, has not been seen since entering the consulate yesterday afternoon, according to his fiancée who accompanied him but waited outside until it closed, the newspaper said. Here's more.
Khashoggi had sought exile in US to avoid arrest
Khashoggi, a former government adviser who went into a self-imposed exile in the United States last year to avoid possible arrest, has been critical of some of the policies of the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Riyadh's intervention in the war in Yemen.
Post's editor deeply concerned; US investigating the case
"We've been unable to reach Jamal today and are very concerned about where he may be," the Post's international opinions editor Eli Lopez said yesterday. "We're monitoring the situation closely, trying to gather more information. It would be unfair and outrageous if he has been detained for his work as a journalist and commentator," he said. The US State Department said it was investigating.
Khashoggi said he was banned from Twitter by Saudi govt
Khashoggi said that before he left the kingdom, the Saudi government banned him from Twitter when he cautioned "against an overly enthusiastic embrace of then-President-elect Donald Trump." In a Global Opinions piece for the Post in Sept'17, Khashoggi wrote: "When I speak of the fear, intimidation, arrests of intellectuals and religious leaders...and then I tell you that I'm from Saudi Arabia, are you surprised?"
