On Saturday, authorities carried out Turki al-Jasser’s execution in Riyadh. He was a leading Saudi journalist and the founder of the news blog Al-Mashhad Al-Saudi. His execution is a serious escalation in the Saudi government’s ongoing campaign against dissent and freedom of expression. Now in his 40s, Al-Jasser has been in detention since 2018. His arrest is a result of his outspoken criticism on social media.
Al-Mashhad Al-Saudi quickly established itself as a vehicle for anti-establishment reporting. It boldly tackles issues like feminism and the suffering of Palestine. Al-Jasser was behind two Twitter accounts, one of which stayed anonymous. The account went on to claim that the Saudi royal family was corrupt and guilty of human rights abuses. This resulted in his arrest once law enforcement tracked him down as being the author of such threats.
According to the Saudi interior ministry’s official announcement of Al-Jasser’s execution, Al-Jasser logged seven years in state custody, where he was allegedly subjected to extreme abuse. According to Areej al-Sadhan, a close associate, “They broke his hand, smashed his fingers, saying this is the hand you tweet with.” This brutality highlights just how far the Saudi authorities are willing to descend into depravity to silence critical voices.
Al-Jasser’s killing was preceded by a barrage of charges against him. These went beyond just sharing content across the usual social media channels like X (formerly Twitter) and YouTube. Human rights advocates and organizations have overwhelmingly condemned his case. They contend that his killing puts the spotlight on the egregious climate that journalists endure in Saudi Arabia.
Sarah Leah Whitson, a prominent human rights activist, criticized Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) in light of Al-Jasser’s execution. She stated, “With Jasser’s execution, Mohammed bin Salman has once again shown us that he remains a vindictive, thin-skinned tyrant who kills people who criticize him.” Whitson continued, explaining that the independent Saudi judiciary has been fully weaponized against anyone who takes the risk of speaking out.
Al-Jasser’s case is part of a very alarming pattern across the region. Journalists should not be punished so harshly for doing their jobs. Turki al-Jasser himself had previously remarked, “The Arab writer can be easily killed by their government under the pretext of ‘national security’,” illustrating the precarious position of journalists in authoritarian regimes.
In light of Al-Jasser’s execution, alarms bells should be ringing about what this means for free speech in Saudi Arabia going forward. Mohammed bin Salman has confessed on the world stage to shortcomings in the kingdom’s judicial system and expressed a hope to reform it. “Do we have bad laws? Yes. We are changing that, yes,” he stated in a recent interview. Detractors say that these kinds of statements ring hollow when placed side-by-side with actions such as Al-Jasser’s execution.
Abdullah Alaoudh, one of Al-Jasser’s closest aides, explained the complicated nature of Al-Jasser’s social media presence. “Turki had two Twitter accounts. Alaoudh said that he was able to speak candid truth in his own name. It was his secondary account—where he was far more satirical and provocative—that turned the ire of the Saudi government towards him. This duality, as underscored by Patrick, is a testament to how journalists strive and resist censorship and danger linked to their reporting in repressive settings.
Al-Jasser’s execution has reignited discussions on the treatment of dissenters in Saudi Arabia and the international community’s response to such actions. Human rights organizations have convinced world leaders to reevaluate their relations with the Saudi regime. This call comes in the shadow of ongoing human rights abuses in the beleaguered country.