Dissident Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi disappears after visit to Saudi consulate in Istanbul
Update - 25 October 2018
Available in Arabic متوفر باللغة العربية
25 October 2018 - PEN International strongly condemns the murder of prominent Saudi writer, Jamal Khashoggi, after entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on 2 October 2018.
PEN urges the United Nations to begin an independent international investigation into the death of Jamal Khashoggi in order to identify those responsible for ordering and carrying out this extrajudicial killing.
“Jamal Khashoggi's murder, as well as the arrests and arbitrary detention of writers and activists for their journalism or human rights activities, are unacceptable violations of international law. The international community must urgently put pressure on the Saudi authorities to cease these systematic human rights abuses and to release all persons detained solely for the peaceful exercise of their rights to freedom of expression, assembly or association” - said Carles Torner, PEN International's Executive Director.
Available in Arabic
8 October 2018 - PEN International is deeply concerned about the well-being and safety of Jamal Khashoggi, a prominent Saudi writer who disappeared after entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey on 2 October 2018. Six days later no official information has been disclosed about the whereabouts of Khashoggi. There are unconfirmed reports that he may have been murdered inside the Consulate.
‘Khashoggi’s disappearance is deeply alarming and hugely worrying for his friends and family. Saudi Arabia must do everything it can immediately to clarify Khashoggi’s movements inside the consulate and disclose all information they have about his whereabouts,’ said Carles Torner, Executive Director of PEN International.
Khashoggi left Saudi Arabia in September 2017, just months after Prince Mohammed bin Salman's ascent into power, which has been marked with a severe crackdown on human rights defenders and writers in the country. Since fleeing Saudi Arabia, Khashoggi has published articles critical of the ‘wave of arrests’ of intellectuals and peaceful activists who have expressed opinions contrary to those of the official Saudi leadership.
PEN believes Khashoggi’s disappearance is related to his opinions and publications critical to the Saudi authorities. PEN calls upon the Saudi and the Turkish authorities to immediately disclose Khashoggi’s whereabouts and to prosecute those who are responsible for his disappearance and any other violation he might be subjected to.
Click here to read PEN International's joint submission to the United Nations on the situation of freedom of expression and writers at risk in Saudi Arabia through the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) mechanism.
For any further information, please contact Nael Georges, PEN International, Koops Mill Mews, 162-164 Abbey Street, London SE1 2AN | Tel: +44 (0) 207 405 0338 | Email: Nael.Georges@pen-international.org