Leon Willems/Qantara
Despite global media coverage and condemnation by governments and human-rights activists, Saudi officialsʹ murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi has not led to any meaningful sanctions. And such impunity is an important reason why the murder happened in the first place
The details of the brutal, premeditated murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi are astonishing. For starters, there is the location: not some dark alley but inside his countryʹs consulate in Istanbul.
Next, there are the alleged perpetrators: a 15-member team that included a forensic doctor who once worked in Australia and brought a bone saw and a body double who put on Khashoggiʹs clothes – probably while they were still warm – and casually slipped out the back door. But the most shocking revelation may be this: the Saudis knew they could get away with murder.
Recent figures published by UNESCO, the United Nations organisation that is tasked, in part, with promoting the safety of journalists worldwide, show that in nine of ten cases, perpetrators are never punished for murdering a journalist. Because impunity is the norm, Saudi authorities took the gamble that even if the killing came to light, the consequences would be minor.
And they were right: although prosecutors in Saudi Arabia are seeking the death penalty for five of the suspects, the international response has so far been meek.
Economic interests are trump
Despite the global attention the murder has received, most leaders have only promised to “consider” sanctions against Saudi Arabia; others have dismissed the idea outright.
U.S. President Donald Trump, for example, has said that although the official Saudi explanation is unsatisfactory, he has no intention of responding by curbing arms sales or trade. Leaders in France and Spain have expressed similar sentiments.
Such bluntness illustrates that when economic interests are pitted against human rights, the former always take precedence.
It is not only the loss of a journalistʹs life that needs to be mourned, but also the erosion of civil liberties and free speech – especially in the Middle East.
As the Committee to Protect Journalists reported last month, three of Saudi Arabiaʹs closest regional allies – the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain – issued statements supporting the Kingdomʹs response to the Khashoggi killing. Saudi-owned domestic and pan-Arab media toed the line, too, while an army of online trolls quickly set to work to defend the Kingdomʹs rulers and smear its critics.