Saudi Arabia: IPI condemns execution of journalist Turki al-Jasser

The IPI global network strongly condemns the execution of prominent Saudi journalist Turki al-Jasser on 14 June. Al-Jasser had been detained since 2018 on unfounded charges of treason and terrorism. We demand an end to the Saudi regime’s brutal violence and attacks against journalists and critics. 

Turki al-Jasser contributed to the Saudi newspaper Al-Taqrir and his personal blog from 2013-15. His writings focused on sensitive issues such as the Arab Spring, women’s rights, and corruption. Saudi authorities claimed he was behind an account on X, formerly Twitter, which perpetuated corruption allegations against Saudi royals as well as made controversial statements about militant groups.

Al-Jasser was arrested in March 2018 when authorities raided his home and confiscated his electronic devices. He was detained for seven years without access to legal representation or contact with his family, except for a brief period in February 2020 after which he was again imprisoned. While detained, al-Jasser was subjected to both physical and psychological torture and denied all communication with the outside world.

This past Saturday, 14 June, al-Jasser was among 81 people killed in the largest mass execution in the Kingdom’s modern history. The charges levied against him were largely unfounded, listed vaguely and broadly as high treason, foreign collaboration, and funding terrorism. These are common accusations made by Saudi authorities with the intent of silencing journalists and dissidents. Grave charges, such as terrorism, are often conflated with instances of peaceful dissent, setting disturbing precedent for the future of the press in Saudi Arabia.

Al-Jasser’s execution falls in the wake of the murder of prominent Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in October 2018. Khashoggi was killed by a 15-person Saudi assassination team at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. While the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman claimed he did not order the journalist’s killing, a 2021 U.S intelligence report found that he, in fact, approved the assassination. Saudi Arabia conducted a closed trial into the assassination, widely regarded as a sham as it failed to achieve transparency or justice.

“We are appalled by the Saudi regime’s execution of journalist Turki al-Jasser,” Amy Brouillette, IPI Director of Advocacy, said. “Unfortunately, this execution was precipitated by the total lack of accountability for the 2018 murder of Jamal Khashoggi, enabling a wider pattern of state-sponsored killings of journalists to continue with impunity.”