Missing Saudi Journalist Further Denounces the Myth of Social Progressiveness

Jamal Khashoggi has been missing since Tuesday after he went into a Saudi consulate in Turkey to finalize a divorce with his ex Saudi wife so he could marry his Turkish Fiancée. His Fiancée waited 11 hours for him to come back but he never did. Ironically 15 Saudi Citizens who came in that same Tuesday hastily left the same day.

Once in the inner Saudi circle where he served as a an adviser to several top government officials,He has been one of the fiercest critics of the Saudi Government under the rule of crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman and has openly advocated for more western oriented politics like improved women’s rights among other things.

While the Saudi Government has firmly denied any wrongdoing, Turkey is accusing them of murdering the journalists and the evidence seems to be overwhelming. What’s more, the refusal by the Saudi Embassy to allow for forensic investigation inside his last known location arouses further suspicion.

It is another dent to the efforts Saudi has put into rebranding itself as a progressive country under the Crown Prince. While the big media moves like restoring the rights of women to drive and hosting sporting events to highlight the countries ‘progress’ are commendable at most, the underbelly still remains that the Social issues that has made Saudi a hot bed for criticism still remains.

There has been reportage of a rising number of Female activists being imprisoned, with one even getting the death sentence. This along with the brutal war in Yemen continues to show the authoritarian nature of Saudi rule.

If this is proven true beyond all reasonable doubt, it merely highlights further how the much touted social 'reform' under Salman appears no different from the antics of past rulers.