Freedom of the press watchdogs are up in arms tonight with the
announcement that the Pakistani Interior Ministry has begun an
investigation into the social media activities of six journalists who had posted pictures of murdered reporter Jamal Khashoggi.
The six were described as being “outspoken” on social media in the past,
and the government believes the posts of Khashoggi’s image were a
commentary of the visit of the Saudi Crown Prince to Pakistan.
A letter related to the investigation claimed that posting Khashoggi’s
image online was a “very disrespectful message” toward the visiting
prince, and officials suggested it was part of an organized campaign
against the prince.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is generally accepted to have ordered
Khashoggi’s murder, which was carried out by a “kill team” which
included a number of his close allies. Khashoggi was a permanent
resident of the US at the time, and was murdered in the Istanbul
Consulate of Saudi Arabia.
Pakistani Interior Ministry Probes Journalists for Publishing Pictures of Khashoggi
Officials accuse journalists of trying to embarrass Saudi Crown Prince
Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.
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