Friends fear for safety of prominent Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi
An undated picture shows prominent Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. (AFP/Getty Images)
LONDON — Friends and relatives of Jamal Khashoggi, a veteran journalist from Saudi Arabia who has recently become a vocal critic of the kingdom’s leadership, said they were worried about his safety on Tuesday after losing contact with him during his visit to the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.
Khashoggi entered the consulate around 1 p.m., according to his fiancee, who said she accompanied him but waited outside. The fiancee, who asked that her name be withheld, called police when Khashoggi did not emerge at 5 p.m., after the consulate had officially closed.
By 10 p.m., there was still no word from him, according to the fiancee and other friends, who stood outside the consulate.
Spokesmen for the Turkish and Saudi foreign ministries did not respond to messages seeking comment on Khashoggi’s possible whereabouts.
Khashoggi, a prominent commentator on Saudi affairs who writes for The Washington Post’s Global Opinions section, has lived in self-imposed exile in the United States since last year, when he left Saudi Arabia over concerns that he would be arrested or prevented from traveling.
He has written extensively over the past year about the growing influence of Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s young crown prince, and been critical of some of Mohammed’s policies, including his crackdown on perceived opponents and dissidents.
After Saudi authorities arrested a group of women’s rights activists in May, Khashoggi wrote that the “crackdown has shocked even the government’s most stalwart defenders.”
