Tweet that cost a life: After Jamal Khashoggi, Saudi journalist's online dissent ends in execution

Time of India

8 hours ago

Saudi journalist Turki al-Jasser was executed for criticizing the government on social media, drawing comparisons to the Jamal Khashoggi case. Al-Jasser's execution, the first high-profile case since Khashoggi's murder, highlights the severe consequences of dissent in Saudi Arabia. Saudi authorities tracked him down through infiltrated Twitter accounts, leading to his arrest, imprisonment, and eventual execution for treason.
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Was the Saudi's journalist really executed just for tweeting?
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Why was Turki al-Jasser arrested?
How did Saudi authorities track anonymous Twitter users?
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Could the Crown Prince have stopped the execution?
Why is this being compared to the Jamal Khashoggi case?
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Another Saudi journalist has paid the ultimate price for challenging the kingdom. In yet another barbarous case, a journalist died, just like Jamal Khashoggi Turki al-Jasser , once a vocal critic on social media, has been executed after years in prison. His story is a horrific reminder of how dissent can turn deadly in authoritarian regimes.Tweeting the criticism of the government apparently came at a humongous cost of life. Since the 2018 murder of Jamal Khashoggi, Turki al-Jasser's passing represents the first high-profile journalistic assassination. This gut-wrenching story underscores the peril of defying overly strict rules.Accoridng to a report by The Guardian, the chillingly prophetic tweet from Saudi journalist Turki al-Jasser in 2014 read, "The Arab writer can be easily killed by their government under the pretext of 'national security.''Turki Al-Jasser was executed in Riyadh on Saturday, according to the Saudi interior ministry, for charges that included "high treason by communicating with and conspiring against the security of the Kingdom with external individuals,' as quoted in a report by The Guardian.Al-Jasser, who is believed to have been in his 40s, was executed after seven years of imprisonment. He was also tortured while he was detained, as per a report.Turki Al-Jasser was likely arrested by Saudi authorities in 2018 after being identified as the author of a well-known anonymous Twitter account that accused the Saudi royal family of corruption and human rights abuses, according to a number of dissidents and analysts keeping tabs on his case.The press freedom group Reporters Without Borders claims that al-Jasser founded the news website Al-Mashhad Al-Saudi (The Saudi Scene), which regularly covered topics like Palestine and women's rights.But it was the account on X, that is believed to have incited Saudi authorities and led to his detention as part of a broader crackdown on dissent. The administration believed that his and other anonymous Twitter accounts were part of an illogical plot to topple the Saudi government.Turki has two accounts on Twitter. According to Abdullah Alaoudh, senior director for countering authoritarianism at the Middle East Democracy Center, "he was even more satirical and vocal with the other account, which was targeted by the Saudi government, even though he was outspoken under his real name."After Saudi agents infiltrated the company in 2014-2015, the Saudi government was able to access the true identities and IP addresses behind thousands of anonymous Twitter accounts. In connection with the conspiracy, the Department of Justice charged a Saudi national and two former Twitter employees.Al-Jasser was the first journalist to be sentenced to death and executed in Saudi Arabia under Mohammed bin Salman's rule, according to Reporters Without Borders. He was also the second journalist to be executed globally since 2020.The crown prince had the legal right to step in and stop al-Jasser's execution, according to legal experts. Every execution is subject to king or crown prince approval under Saudi law.Turki al-Jasser's execution was the first high-profile Saudi murder of a journalist since Saudi agents in 2018 assassinated Jamal Khashoggi, a critic of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and a Washington Post columnist, in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. According to a 2020 intelligence assessment by then-President Joe Biden, MBS approved the murder.He was reportedly identified as the creator of a critical anonymous Twitter account and later executed for "high treason."Saudi agents infiltrated Twitter and obtained user data, allowing them to identify anonymous dissidents such as al-Jasser.