The difficulty of writing about an issue that is not only morbid but complicated and still developing is not lost on me. There are many facets to journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s assassination: who is involved, what they had to gain, what the international community’s reaction should be, and how the media covered his death. All of these factors play a role in why this story matters but beyond that, there is one fact that is certain—a man was murdered for his beliefs, and something has to be done.
Khashoggi was a prominent Saudi Arabian journalist. Over the past year, his coverage has been increasingly critical of the current prince Mohammed bin Salman. He rightfully claimed that the prince established a state of fear and repression. This all came to a head when Khashoggi entered the Saudi embassy in Istanbul and never left.
Knowing Khashoggi’s reputation—and more importantly, the Saudi Arabian government’s reputation—Khashoggi’s fiancée and many others expected the worst. Unfortunately, their fears were proven right when the Turkish government announced that they had video-and audio-recorded proof of the fact that Khashoggi was killed in the embassy.
What proceeded was the Saudi prince and his Kingdom doing their best impression of a child being caught in a blatant lie—pointing fingers, changing stories, then trying in vain to minimize their role in Khashoggi’s killing. In the following weeks, the Turkish government released bits and pieces of the story, and the Saudis steadily dug themselves into a deeper hole.
This is the playing field right now: none of the parties are telling the whole truth, and they’re working with and in opposition of each other. And, right in the middle of it is a dead journalist. What “fun.”
It is obvious that something must be done. There is no doubt that the prince is responsible for Khashoggi’s death—so it’s an open and shut case, right? Should we just hold the Saudi prince to account and then pat ourselves on the back and enjoy the view from our moral high ground? Middle Eastern politics would be so much more bearable if it were that easy.
This is the part where we must decide what the role of the international community should be. At this point, the international community should do nothing. Well, it should do nothing for now. We must wait, calm down, and see all the facts—because bin Salman is not the only guilty party. This is bigger than just some man-child of a prince being upset about what someone was saying about him. We must make sure justice is served and that all responsible for Khashoggi’s death are held accountable.
When it comes to involvement, the Turkish government has the evidence, but they aren’t cooperating with the international community. They don’t want justice; they want a bargaining chip—that is why they are only releasing the evidence bit by bit. Every minute they do not hand over all evidence they have to the international community, justice is being impeded.
In addition, there are other actors at play to complicate the situation further. Recently, the U.S. was accused of adding to the prince’s coverup. This shows us that all the facts are not there. We must wait until we have a better understanding of not just what happened, but who was involved, and who is benefiting from it. Canada should play it safe. When we have the full story, we can appropriately work with the international community as a whole. It will be a poor choice to run in head-first like we usually do, and start pointing fingers.
The killing of Khashoggi is no less than a tragedy—but we must live to his example by being smart and seeking answers. In deciding how to react to Khashoggi’s death, Canada should not act as the hammer of justice, but the seeker of truth.
Photo by Jasmine Foong
