The Khashoggi Assassination - Is The Commissioner Untouchable ?

The assassination of Saudi prominent journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Saudi Arabia's Consulate building two months ago in Istanbul, Turkey, was clearly another attack on journalism, more specifically it appears quite obvious that unfortunately we are witnessing and living in an age were uncovering and reporting corrupt and criminal practices by politicians or other member of governing bodies such as monarchs, is leading to aggressive ways of blocking freedom of speech.

Globally it appears that moral values and principles like honesty and integrity are not being set as standards of good governance by a good chunk of individuals or groups in power or aspiring to be in power. These people are not driven by a vocational purpose to work towards achieving improvements in standards of living and towards securing the ideal environmental policies for their territories. Their greed inspires them to resort to illicit measures in order to make more money in short times and avoid settling any taxation due, thus kickbacks and money laundering are ripe. 

Once a Saudi crown favourite and adviser to the government, Khashoggi fell out of favour with the crown Prince, Mohhameed Bin Salmam, BBC News 16.11.18: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-45812399 moved to the U.S. and started writing a monthly column in the Washington Post, criticising the Crown Prince's polices, 

"On 2 October, Jamal Khashoggi, a well-known journalist and critic of the Saudi government, walked into the country's consulate in Istanbul, where he was murdered.Saudi Arabia's public prosecutor has said that Khashoggi was killed inside the building on the orders of an intelligence officer.Turkish officials however say they have evidence, including gruesome audio recordings, that the journalist was killed by a team of Saudi agents on orders that came from the highest levels." 

Going further back only a few years one may understand how the present intricacies involving the Saudi royal family began, a feud in the family, why? over status, power and money of course. Similar moves, allegedly by the royals, leading to Khashoggi's death,  earlier inflicted on Saudi business man, Mr Obaid, who however is still alive in exile. So how did the former royal friend, Jamal Khashoggi turn into an enemy?  https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/global-opinions/the-khashoggi-killing-had-roots-in-a-cutthroat-saudi-family-feud/2018/11/27/6d79880c-f17b-11e8-bc79-68604ed88993_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.6342632cca3dis An article on The Washington Post which gives an extensive insight on how matters developed: The Washington Post, by columnist David Ignatius , 27.11.08:

"The opening scenes of this family feud took place in January 2015 in a VIP hospital suite in Riyadh, as King Abdullah lay on his deathbed. According to a Saudi who was at the hospital at the time, Abdullah’s sons and courtiers briefly delayed informing his successor, King Salman, that the monarch had passed — perhaps hoping to control the court’s stash of money and sustain powerful positions for Abdullah’s wing of the family.The cutthroat scheming within the House of Saud over the following years matches anything in the fantasy series “Game of Thrones.” The fallout extended to the United States, China, Switzerland and other countries, as the two most powerful clans of the royal family jockeyed for power. As the tension increased, the royal court around Mohammed bin Salman, the new king’s favorite son, even dared to try to kidnap a member of the Abdullah faction in Beijing in a brazen operation in August 2016 that reads like a chapter in a spy thriller.MBS, as Salman’s son is known, became increasingly anxious and aggressive toward those he considered enemies. Starting in the spring of 2017, a team of Saudi intelligence operatives, under the control of the royal court, began organizing kidnappings of dissidents abroad and at home, according to U.S. and Saudi experts. Detainees were held at covert sites. The Saudis used harsh enhanced interrogation techniques, a euphemism for torture, to make the captives talk. They were forced to sign oaths that if they disclosed any of what happened, they would pay a severe price.This real-life drama was described to me in a series of interviews by prominent Saudis and U.S. and European experts, in the United States and abroad, in the weeks since Khashoggi’s death. These sources had firsthand knowledge of events but asked not to be identified because they involve sensitive international matters. The information was checked with knowledgeable U.S. sources to confirm its accuracy. It helps explain the vortex of rage and lawlessness that ultimately sucked in Khashoggi, a Post Global Opinions columnist, when he entered the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2."

It seems most unlikely that any of the Saudi royals will be investigated or put on trial in the Oil Rich Arab Kingdom even if investigations and evidence so far allegedly point towards them commissioning Jamal Khashoggi's brutal assassination. We are used to seeing the western world, mainly the UN, the EU, the U.S.A and Australia impose sanctions on states whose governing bodies violate international laws and directives especially when concerning freedom of expression and violence or torture. So far there seems to be no mention yet of such punitive measures towards Saudi Arabia, why ? The Guardian, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/nov/27/jamal-khashoggi-murder-senate-briefing-saudi-arabia-gina-haspel-white-house delves on how the White House is dealing with CIA information and investigation by top experienced people like the CIA director herself, Gina Haspel. Make your conclusions !


More interesting reads concerning Khashoggi's assassination:

https://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20181124/world/saudi-prince-says-cia-cannot-be-trusted-on-khashoggi-conclusion.695030

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/afp/article-6443111/Canada-sanctions-17-Saudi-nationals-Khashoggi-killing.html




Keep well, till the next one.

Adrian