Opposition fear foreign-based critics could become new targets of government following disappearance of notorious Turkey-based vlogger Kampala, Uganda | IAN KATUSIIME | The Independent recently held a very revealing interview with the Attorney General, Kiryowa Kiwanuka, on the whereabouts of Fred Kajjubi Lumbuye; the missing critic of the government and …
Read More »Khashoggi son welcomes Saudi court verdict, Turkey slams it
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | AFP | The son of murdered Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi welcomed a court verdict Monday that saw five people sentenced to death over the killing, saying justice had been served. “Fairness of the judiciary is based on two principles, justice and swift litigation,” Salah Khashoggi, who …
Read More »In gloomy times, rights body sees ‘striking’ pushback against abuses
Berlin, Germany | AFP | A growing pushback against human rights abusers and autocrats has emerged in the last year, Human Rights Watch said Thursday, with resistance coming from a number of new sources. Smaller countries and groups like the Organisation for Islamic Cooperation are stepping up and taking …
Read More »Saudi king orders government reshuffle after Khashoggi fallout
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | AFP | Saudi Arabia’s King Salman ordered a sweeping government reshuffle Thursday, replacing key security and political figures including the foreign minister, as the kingdom grapples with the international fallout over critic Jamal Khashoggi’s murder. The surprise shake up saw the appointment of a new National …
Read More »Khashoggi, other targeted journalists named Time ‘Person of the Year’
New York, United States | AFP | Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was murdered in October at his country’s Istanbul consulate, was named Time magazine’s “Person of the Year” Tuesday, an honor he shared with other targeted journalists recognized as “guardians” of the truth. Among those named with Khashoggi were …
Read More »Saudi King Salman praises judiciary amid Khashoggi fallout
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | AFP | Saudi King Salman heaped praise on the kingdom’s judiciary Monday, in his first public remarks since critic Jamal Khashoggi’s murder tipped the country into one of its worst international crises. The public prosecutor last week exonerated powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of involvement …
Read More »CIA concludes Saudi Crown Prince behind Khashoggi murder: reports
Washington, United States | AFP | The US Central Intelligence Agency has concluded Saudi Arabia’s powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was behind the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, US media reported Friday, citing people close to the matter. The US assessment directly contradicts the conclusions of a Saudi prosecutor …
Read More »Saudis issue charges but exonerate crown prince in Khashoggi murder
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | AFP | The Saudi government exonerated the country’s powerful crown prince of involvement in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi Thursday as death-penalty charges were announced against five men and the US placed sanctions on 17 suspected of involvement. Riyadh prosecutors announced indictments against 11 people …
Read More »COMMENT: The martyrdom of Khashoggi
Discrediting, constraining, or otherwise silencing independent journalists is a key tool of repression COMMENT | DAOUD KUTTAB | The London-based daily Al-Araby Al-Jadeed recently published a cartoon, by the Jordanian artist Emad Hajjaj, depicting a faceless man wearing a red and white keffiyeh and sweeping his brown thawb in such a …
Read More »Macron rejects calls to halt Saudi arms sales over Khashoggi
Bratislava, Slovakia | AFP | French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday brushed off pressure to halt lucrative arms sales to Saudi Arabia over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, saying such calls were “pure demagoguery”. Sales of weapons to Riyadh — France’s second biggest customer after India — have “nothing …
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