Jamal Khashoggi
The litany of woes suffered by journalists across the globe continues to grow by the day; the latest being the murder of the Saudi journalist, Jamal Khashoggi.
One of the contributors to the ‘Letters To The Editor’ column of the DAILY GUIDE last week asked when the Ghana Journalists’ Association (GJA) is going to issue a statement condemning the shameful act against one of our own.
Free speech has never been so threatened; that the US can play a major role in addressing the unfolding development but preferring to tilt towards the Saudis through cheap manipulations makes it even more worrying. Not doing so, in Donald Trump’s estimation, will cost American jobs in the arms industry. How sad! Must principles be thrown to the dogs? For a country regarded as an epitome of the freedoms, such hypocrisy is unacceptable. Thankfully the legislators in Congress are doing what the world expects them to do- asking for decisive action against those who authorized the operation.
Such painful death with the skin of the victim almost peeled from his body after which it was dismembered, bagged and taken away to Saudi, is a story which does not belong to the civilized world.
No group of Saudi officials can touch down on Turkish soil and undertake such an operation with diplomatic cover and leave within the twinkle of an eye without the blessing of the Royal family in Riyadh. Never! There are many questions.
America has a foreign policy emergency on its hands and it does not look good. What the hell did journalist Jamal Khashoggi do to warrant such act of savagery by persons suspected to have acted upon the direction of the Crown Prince in Saudi Arabia?
If what befell him was the response of his country’s officialdom to free speech, then the international community must act now with the US leading the charge – not the picture we are being showed by Donald Trump.
From Trump pointing fingers at some so-called ‘rogue elements’ to seeking to absolve the Saudi government when it finally admitted that the journalist died in the Consulate of the Saudis in Istanbul and capping same with a pat on the back of his friends in Riyadh is crazy. The ‘that is a good sign’ remark from him when the Saudis after their merry-go-round admitted that the journalist was killed in the consulate is a slap on free speech. It is inconsistent with American values and civilisation.
PR managers are busy minting statements which seek to absolve the Saudi royal family and make an American sanction unnecessary. Any exposure of this hypocrisy would be expectedly described as ‘fake news’ by Trump.
Any human being would struggle with his captors when he discovers he is about to be killed through torture. The brawl theory in the consulate leading to his death by the Saudis is another piece of balderdash.
We salute the boycotters of the Riyadh engagement and demand of the free and civilized world to continue to let primitive societies know that if they want to be part of them they should rid themselves of such crudeness and barbarism.
We are compelled to associate ourselves with the notion that power and wealth in the hands of the primitive and wicked can be dangerous and a threat to civilized values.  The house of Saudi has messed up and would pay for it. The oil blackmail won’t wash; we can bet.