# Why is Saudi Arabia killing a journalist such a big issue **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 12, 2018, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-saudi-arabia-killing-a-journalist-such-a-big-issue/822880 "2018-10-12T22:09:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2019, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-saudi-arabia-killing-a-journalist-such-a-big-issue/822880/101 "2019-12-23T16:01:45Z")
> [@](#): > > Five people have been sentenced to death in connection with the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul last year, Saudi Arabia’s public prosecutor announced Monday, but the two most senior officials implicated in the case, including an adviser to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, were cleared of wrongdoing… > > Saudi Arabia maintained that it was a “rogue” operation carried out by overzealous agents who had been instructed to return Khashoggi to Saudi Arabia alive. On Monday, Shalaan said the investigation showed “there was no prior intention to kill at the start of this mission.” The killing, he added, was a “snap decision.” > **[Saudi Arabia says five sentenced to death in killing of Jamal Khashoggi](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/saudi-arabia-says-five-sentenced-to-death-in-killing-of-jamal-khashoggi/2019/12/23/02fc0ea4-256a-11ea-9cc9-e19cfbc87e51_story.html)** > > Two senior aides to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman were cleared of wrongdoing. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2019, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-saudi-arabia-killing-a-journalist-such-a-big-issue/822880/102 "2019-12-23T17:07:02Z")
I wonder if they will really execute them or if this is just judicial theater. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2019, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-saudi-arabia-killing-a-journalist-such-a-big-issue/822880/103 "2019-12-23T18:16:59Z")
My guess is judicial theater. Remember: > [@](#): > > The official cited by the New York Times reportedly described a quick assassination, and dismemberment by a team of Saudi agents with a bone saw brought for the purpose. “It is like Pulp Fiction,” the official said. > **[Missing Saudi journalist ‘cut up with bone saw in Pulp Fiction murder’](https://www.standard.co.uk/news/world/jamal-khashoggi-saudi-journalist-cut-up-with-bone-saw-in-pulp-fiction-murder-inside-consulate-in-istanbul-a3958256.html)** > > Missing dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi was dismembered with a bone saw in a “Pulp Fiction”-style killing inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, it was claimed today. Killing a snap decision? Not when you purposely bring a bone saw along. ---
**Author:** ![Kimera757](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kimera757/32/3765_2.png) [@Kimera757](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimera757)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2019, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-saudi-arabia-killing-a-journalist-such-a-big-issue/822880/104 "2019-12-23T18:35:51Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > I wonder if they will really execute them or if this is just judicial theater. Sounds like they’re just killing scapegoats. It might be harder to hire murderers in the future. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2019, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-saudi-arabia-killing-a-journalist-such-a-big-issue/822880/105 "2019-12-23T18:41:27Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > I wonder if they will really execute them or if this is just judicial theater. Are you kidding? Sure, they’ll kill them publicly and with great fanfare. These people are disposable, regarded less than a used Kleenex by the regime. Make a claim of ‘Justice Served’ and back to business as usual. Nothing to see here… ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2019, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-saudi-arabia-killing-a-journalist-such-a-big-issue/822880/106 "2019-12-23T19:10:48Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > I wonder if they will really execute them or if this is just judicial theater. I’m wondering if they are really agents, or guys already slated for death and given promises that their families will be well provided for. Maybe they grabbed some guys off the street. “I didn’t do it! I was kidnapped off the street!” “Sure guy, do you think anyone will believe that?” ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2019, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-saudi-arabia-killing-a-journalist-such-a-big-issue/822880/107 "2019-12-23T19:12:20Z")
They’re probably other journalists critical of the regime. They can tie up all kinds of loose ends now! ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2019, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-saudi-arabia-killing-a-journalist-such-a-big-issue/822880/108 "2019-12-23T19:21:11Z")
They can behead two birds with one sword! They may be able to pacify the criticism from the West. And if these guys know which of the higher-ups and members of the royal family were involved, they are not going to be able to tell any tales. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2019, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-saudi-arabia-killing-a-journalist-such-a-big-issue/822880/109 "2019-12-25T03:30:55Z")
Two editorials in The Washington Post: [The Khashoggi verdict is exactly what impunity looks like. It must be denounced](https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-khashoggi-verdict-is-exactly-what-impunity-looks-like-it-must-be-denounced/2019/12/23/60b5226c-25cc-11ea-ad73-2fd294520e97_story.html), Agnes Callamard, Dec. 23, 2019. > [@](#): > > _Agnes Callamard is the U.N. special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions and director of Global Freedom of Expression at Columbia University._ > > On Monday, the Saudi public prosecutor announced that five people had been sentenced to death for last year’s murder of Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, while three others were sentenced to jail. Notably, the prosecutor also revealed that his office had investigated two top advisers to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman — Saud al-Qahtani and Ahmed al-Assiri — but cleared them because of “insufficient evidence.” > > These verdicts are the antithesis of justice: the hit men are sentenced to death, potentially permanently silencing key witnesses, but the apparent masterminds walk free — barely touched by the investigation and trial. This is exactly what impunity looks like, and it must be denounced. Anyone who cares about freedom of the press — governments, as well as members of the public — must denounce this travesty until an actual impartial investigation holds those at the highest level responsible. [Saudi Arabia’s Khashoggi verdict is a mockery of justice](https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/global-opinions/saudi-arabias-khashoggi-verdict-is-a-mockery-of-justice/2019/12/23/f2adb4f2-1c3c-11ea-8d58-5ac3600967a1_story.html), WaPo Editorial Board, Dec. 23, 2019. > [@](#): > > SAUDI ARABIA has delivered a shameful travesty of justice in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Following a closed trial, authorities announced Monday that five people implicated in the Oct. 2, 2018, killing had been sentenced to death, and three more were given prison sentences. None were named. But two men who are known to have directed the operation, former deputy chief of intelligence Ahmed al-Assiri and Saud al-Qahtani, a top aide to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, were exonerated. Most likely they were excused at the direction of the crown prince, who, according to the CIA, is the real author of the crime. TL;DR: They convicted the low-level hit men who did the job. They ignored (ETA: or white-washed) the higher-ups who ordered it. They put the blame on the hit men, arguing that their assignment was only to kidnap Khashoggi not to kill him. They are claiming the killing was accidental :dubious: or that the hit men went rogue. Like, kidnappers always bring a bone-saw with them. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2019, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-saudi-arabia-killing-a-journalist-such-a-big-issue/822880/110 "2019-12-25T18:09:58Z")
I picture in my mind Tom Hagen walking around the prison yard with these guys. He points out that they’re families will be taken care (in a good way) if they go along with the mock trail. Which implies that their families will be taken care of (in a bad way) if they don’t. Perhaps reinforced by bringing a poor peasant brother or two to sit in on the trial. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2020, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-saudi-arabia-killing-a-journalist-such-a-big-issue/822880/111 "2020-01-22T02:39:40Z")
Cross-posted this in another Khashoggi thread, but consider it so mind-blowing that I had to post it here as well: The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia himself hacked Jeff Bezos’ phone while Whatsapping with Bezos. Yes, that is right: the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia _personally_ hacked the phone of the world’s richest person, a man who owns the Washington Post, and, within months: 1. Sent the pictures to AMI to extort Bezos 2. Killed Khashoggi [Jeff Bezos hack: Amazon boss's phone 'hacked by Saudi crown prince' | Jeff Bezos | The Guardian](https://amp.theguardian.com/technology/2020/jan/21/amazon-boss-jeff-bezoss-phone-hacked-by-saudi-crown-prince)? Commentary: > [@](#): > > 1. Jeff Bezos’s phone was hacked through his Whatsapp account > 2. The exploit came _directly_ from MBS’s personal phone, a few days after they exchanged numbers > 3. The Saudis were in Bezos’s phone from May 2018 till February 2019 > 4. The Bezos hack was not about Amazon. It was about the Washington Post > 5. There is an extensive forensic report upcoming > 6. Full details around this will become available to the public in a few months > 7. Yes it was Pegasus, the cyberweapon made by Israeli company NSO > 8. You think you’re safe if you use Signal with disappearing messages? Think again > 9. Between May and October 2018, the Saudis also hacked many others. All were about free speech, not business. > ---
**Author:** ![road\_lobo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d78d45/32.png) [@road\_lobo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/road_lobo)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2020, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-saudi-arabia-killing-a-journalist-such-a-big-issue/822880/112 "2020-01-22T18:26:20Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > Cross-posted this in another Khashoggi thread, but consider it so mind-blowing that I had to post it here as well: > > The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia himself hacked Jeff Bezos’ phone while Whatsapping with Bezos. > > Yes, that is right: the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia _personally_ hacked the phone of the world’s richest person, a man who owns the Washington Post, and, within months: > > 1. Sent the pictures to AMI to extort Bezos > 2. Killed Khashoggi > > [Jeff Bezos hack: Amazon boss's phone 'hacked by Saudi crown prince' | Jeff Bezos | The Guardian](https://amp.theguardian.com/technology/2020/jan/21/amazon-boss-jeff-bezoss-phone-hacked-by-saudi-crown-prince)? > > Commentary: > > [https://twitter.com/iyad\_elbaghdadi/status/1219737845042159616?s=19](https://twitter.com/iyad_elbaghdadi/status/1219737845042159616?s=19) There’s no proof MBS personally did this. His account being used is novel. There’s no reason to believe MBS is a leet haxxor. ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2020, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-saudi-arabia-killing-a-journalist-such-a-big-issue/822880/113 "2020-01-22T18:32:29Z")
How do hack via WhatsApp? Is it via a link that you hope the person will click on? ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2020, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-saudi-arabia-killing-a-journalist-such-a-big-issue/822880/114 "2020-01-23T21:56:54Z")
> [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](#): > > How do hack via WhatsApp? Is it via a link that you hope the person will click on? Probably [this](https://www.macrumors.com/2019/05/13/whatsapp-call-vulnerability-spyware/)? > [@](#): > > WhatsApp today disclosed a vulnerability that allowed hackers to remotely exploit a bug in the app’s audio call system to access sensitive information on an iPhone or Android device. > > According to The New York Times, attackers were able to insert malicious code into WhatsApp, allowing them to steal data, regardless of whether or not a WhatsApp phone call was answered. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2020, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-saudi-arabia-killing-a-journalist-such-a-big-issue/822880/115 "2020-01-23T22:04:02Z")
> [@road\_lobo](#): > > There’s no proof MBS personally did this. His account being used is novel. There’s no reason to believe MBS is a leet haxxor. Sure there’s reason… didn’t you read the article? ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2020, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-saudi-arabia-killing-a-journalist-such-a-big-issue/822880/116 "2020-05-23T02:03:05Z")
Updating this thread: > [@](#): > > The sons of slain Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi say they have forgiven their father’s killers, paving the way for a legal reprieve for five men sentenced to death for the murder. > > “If a person forgives and makes reconciliation, his reward is due from Allah,” the writer’s eldest son, Saleh, tweeted Thursday. “Therefore, we the sons of the martyr Jamal Khashoggi, announce that we pardon those who killed our father.” > > Saudi law considers a victim’s forgiveness as possible grounds for clemency in a death sentence. It is unclear under what circumstances the pardon was extended. Many of Khashoggi’s family, including Saleh, currently live or work in Saudi Arabia, which is known for cracking down on dissidents. > **[Sons of Slain Journalist Jamal Khashoggi Forgive His Killers, Paving Way for...](https://www.npr.org/2020/05/22/861023157/sons-of-slain-journalist-jamal-khashoggi-forgive-his-killers-paving-way-for-pard)** > > The writer's eldest son, Saleh, tweeted Thursday, "If a person forgives and makes reconciliation, his reward is due from Allah." ---
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2020, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-saudi-arabia-killing-a-journalist-such-a-big-issue/822880/117 "2020-05-23T02:10:32Z")
> [@](#): > > The sons of slain Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi say they have forgiven their father’s killers, paving the way for a legal reprieve for five men sentenced to death for the murder. Shocker. I’m sure they were in no way cajoled or coerced into this by the government that “totally did not sanction” the murder. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2020, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-saudi-arabia-killing-a-journalist-such-a-big-issue/822880/118 "2020-05-23T16:17:27Z")
> [@ASL\_v2.0](#): > > Shocker. I’m sure they were in no way cajoled or coerced into this by the government that “totally did not sanction” the murder. [Khashoggi children have received houses in Saudi Arabia and monthly payments as compensation for killing of father](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/khashoggi-children-have-received-houses-in-saudi-arabia-and-monthly-payments-as-compensation-for-killing-of-father/2019/04/01/c279ca3e-5485-11e9-8ef3-fbd41a2ce4d5_story.html) - Washington Post ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2020, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-saudi-arabia-killing-a-journalist-such-a-big-issue/822880/119 "2020-05-23T20:35:21Z")
And that is why money is the root of all evil. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2021, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-saudi-arabia-killing-a-journalist-such-a-big-issue/822880/120 "2021-06-23T06:20:21Z")
Updating this thread, the question may have occurred to some of you as to where Khashoggi’s killers were trained: The United States, naturally–for some of them: > **[Saudi Operatives Who Killed Khashoggi Received Paramilitary Training in U.S....](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/22/us/politics/khashoggi-saudi-kill-team-us-training.html)** > > The training, approved by the State Department, underscores the perils of military partnerships with repressive governments. [or if the above is paywalled for you:] > **[Saudis who killed journalist Khashoggi received paramilitary training in U.S....](https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/saudi-operatives-who-killed-journalist-khashoggi-received-paramilitary-training-2021-06-22/)** > > Four Saudis who participated in the 2018 killing of the Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi received paramilitary training in the United States the previous year under a contract approved by the State Department, the New York Times reported on... > **[Report: Khashoggi's killers had paramilitary training in U.S.](https://www.axios.com/2021/06/23/khashoggi-killers-paramilitary-training-us-nyt)** > > The Arkansas-based security firm Tier 1 Group provided the Times with information on the training. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-saudi-arabia-killing-a-journalist-such-a-big-issue/822880.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-saudi-arabia-killing-a-journalist-such-a-big-issue/822880.md?page=7)