TV criticism: A documentary on Arte looks behind the headlines about the murder of the Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi and provides insightful insights.
- In October 2018, Saudi secret agents killed journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul
- More than two weeks later, Saudi Arabia granted Khashoggi to be killed
- Today we know that Khashoggi was tortured and murdered in the Saudi embassy in Istanbul
Saudi Arabia is currently on the list of countries to which Germany does not supply armaments. An extension or lifting of the restrictions will be decided in March. A two-part documentation on Arte could help decision making. The team of authors Martin Smith and Linda Hirsch investigated the background of the murder of Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi in October 2018 for the non-profit-making US television station WGBH in Boston. The case repeatedly made headlines.
The exiled Khashoggi had gone to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to settle matters necessary for his upcoming wedding to a Turkish woman. He was not seen again after entering the building. The Turkish authorities began to investigate. Saudi consulate officials said Khashoggi had left the site and speculated that he had gone underground in Turkey. They even provided video recordings to support their presentation. But the Turkish police were not fooled - the pictures were fake.
TV documentary (Arte) about Khashoggi murder provides insightful insights
Today we know: Khashoggi was tortured, murdered, dismembered. In a targeted action, by a specially flown command. The Turkish secret service has tapes of the crime. There is talk of outrageous violence in this context. The question arises whether Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman , known as MbS, knew about this plot. According to US President Donald Trump , there is nothing to suggest this. But this statement contradicts the findings of his own secret services. Not the first time Trump has twisted the truth.
Mohammed bin Salman has a reputation as a reformer. During his reign, the influence of the religious police was suppressed, he permitted the operation of cinemas and fairgrounds, public music performances and granted women the right to drive a car. The journalist Jamal Khashoggi once had a positive attitude towards bin Salman and also defended his offensive course against the archenemy Iran, with which Saudi Arabia is waging a proxy war in Yemen. Bin Salman's efforts to free Saudi Arabia from its dependence on oil should also be applauded.
TV documentary (Arte) about Khashoggi murder: Donald Trump was massively wooed
But liberalization turned out to be a chimera, not least staged to shed the reputation of backwardness and intolerance that frightened foreign investors. Khashoggi himself felt the true nature of the Saudi leadership when he expressed skepticism about the new US President Trump. In response, he was banned from publishing. Because Trump, the film authors show impressively, was massively wooed by the Saudis. It was about arms deliveries, support against Iran, economic exchanges. Among other things, the country became interesting for Hollywood film producers who were not represented here because of the cinema ban and who could now hope for additional sources of income.
Our film, The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, is debuting on German TV 18 February. https://t.co/ZCETISKODv
- Martin Smith (@ Martin28Smith) February 13, 2020At the beginning it may seem that Smith and Hirsch go very far. But their documentation is gaining momentum, not just because of the depiction of the murder of Khashoggi, who turned into an inexorable critic of bin Salman, but especially because of the intensive research and material combinations that make larger domestic and foreign policy contexts visible and to theirs Contribute understanding.
TV documentary (Arte) about Khashoggi murder: Saudi Arabia infiltrates Twitter
On closer inspection, the Saudi government's so-called anti-corruption measures prove to be more or less disguised reprisals against critics, as well as against people of higher circles who could detract from the power of the autocratic crown prince.
The authors also have a lot to say about social media. Saudi agents managed to infiltrate Twitter headquarters and capture data from opponents of the regime. With corresponding consequences for those affected. Saudi officials today describe the Khashoggi murder as a "strategic mistake". It doesn't sound like insight and regret. Arte shows both parts of the documentation one after the other.
By Harald Keller
"Murder in the Consulate - Mohammed bin Salman and the Khashoggi Case", Tuesday, February 18, Arte, 8:15 p.m.