The shocking report that dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi may have been killed in his country’s consulate in Istanbul and his body secretly removed from the building is a story that the government in Riyadh isn’t going to be able to ignore or dismiss with a mere denial.
The Journal reported Sunday that Turkish police believe Mr. Khashoggi was killed inside the Saudi consulate after he entered on Oct. 2 and never left. Saudi authorities say he left the building, but Mr. Khashoggi’s fiancée says he never emerged and she alerted Turkish authorities the same day. The Saudis deny any foul play but the Kingdom’s international reputation is on the line here.
Mr. Khashoggi was once part of the Saudi establishment but gradually became a critic of Saudi King Salman and his son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The Crown Prince wants to modernize the Kingdom but he has used authoritarian methods that include the arrest of political opponents. Mr. Khashoggi moved to Washington, D.C., last year because he feared arrest or a travel ban, and he has been writing a column for the Washington Post.
The Saudi reformers have allies in Washington, but they will lose them if they aren’t transparent about Jamal Khashoggi’s fate.