The Ministry of Interior of Saudi Arabia has officially confirmed the execution of prominent journalist Turki al-Jasser, who spent seven years in prison facing charges of treason, collaboration with foreign entities, financing terrorism, and threatening the kingdom’s national security and unity, reports Baltimore Chronicle citing the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).
Al-Jasser was arrested in 2018. Saudi authorities suspected him of operating an account on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), which published allegations of corruption involving members of the royal family. At the time, Saudi officials were already facing accusations of surveilling users of X and journalists, notably Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, who was killed at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October of the same year.
Al-Jasser was known as a significant voice in Saudi journalism, often covering sensitive subjects such as women’s rights, the Arab Spring, and corruption in the government. He had previously worked with the now-defunct newspaper Al-Taqrir and maintained a personal blog between 2013 and 2015.
Following his arrest, the journalist was held in complete isolation — he was denied access to legal counsel and forbidden from contacting his family. Human rights organizations have reported that al-Jasser was subjected to both physical and psychological abuse while in custody.
Carlos Martínez de la Serna, Program Director at the Committee to Protect Journalists, condemned the execution and emphasized that the lack of accountability for the murder of Jamal Khashoggi has contributed to further repression of the press in Saudi Arabia. He stated: “The international community, having failed to secure justice in the Khashoggi case, has betrayed not just one journalist. It has emboldened Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in his belief that he can continue persecuting a free press.”
Earlier we wrote that Saudi Arabia launches prolonged oil price battle.