On the morning of October 2, well-known opposition Saudi journalist Jamal Hashkaji, together with his Turkish bride Hatija Cengiz, came to the consulate general in Istanbul. In the near future they were going to get married. For the wedding, it was necessary to obtain documents of divorce from a previous wife, who remained in Saudi Arabia. On September 28, he came here, but he was not given the documents.
It is forbidden to carry phones into the embassy’s building, so Jamal Hashadji left his cell phone with the words: “If I don’t come back after a while, call Erdogan’s assistants.” No one else saw him. The bride waited five hours, and when she asked where her fiancé was, she was told that he had left the building a long time ago.
Turkish authorities investigating the disappearance of a journalist are inclined to believe that Jamal was tortured and then killed and dismembered in a diplomatic mission building. After all, on the day of the disappearance of a journalist from Riyadh, fifteen Saudis flew in on a special board. In Turkey they spent half a day and immediately returned home, but they managed to visit the embassy’s building. Among the arrivals was the well-known forensic scientist of the Department of General Security of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Kingdom of Mohammed at-Tubaiji.
The recordings from surveillance cameras that were at the disposal of the Turks show how Hashkadji enters the embassy’s building, but there are no shots of how he comes out. By coincidence, on that day many of the staff of the consulate general had an unplanned day off.
Once Hashkazhi was close to the family of the monarch, but because of disagreement with the policy of the crown prince left the country. He lived in the United States, criticized what is happening in the kingdom in The Washington Post, in the author's columns. According to one version, the journalist was killed because he was closely associated with Interior Minister Mohammed bin Naif al-Saud, who was considered the crown prince of the kingdom until June of last year."We demand tough measures"
The Senate Foreign Affairs Committee demanded that Donald Trump investigate and firmly reply to Riyadh. The American president has 120 days to do it. Senators hope that Trump will take into account all available information, including that relating to representatives of the "highest echelons of power."
Senators propose to ban the sale of American weapons to Saudis. Trump is not at all with his hands: on the list of his foreign policy victories, contracts with Saudi Arabia worth billions of dollars occupy an important place.
The fact that the two states have a special relationship, Trump showed, barely stepping on the post. Of the first foreign capitals, he visited Riyadh. The parties have signed contracts for record amounts. The United States pledged to develop and modernize the Armed Forces of Saudi Arabia, and also to supply the kingdom with weapons worth $ 350 billion over ten years. In March of this year, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman arrived in Washington with a return visit. At the talks, the American leader did not raise the traditional topic of human rights.
But if it is proved that Riyadh is involved in the disappearance of a journalist, Trump promised "severe punishment." Although, responding to questions from journalists, he clarified that breaking a military contract with Saudi Arabia would harm the United States. “So we will punish ourselves. We can take other steps, very, very powerful,” the American leader promised. He would not like to lose Saudi orders and investments, thanks to which 450 thousand jobs were created. "If Washington stops selling weapons to the Saudis, they will spend the money in Russia or China," Trump added.
The Saudis have already thanked the US administration for their restraint in assessing the situation. But shortly before that, they promised in Riyadh “to take even tougher measures against those who decide on sanctions against the kingdom,” noting that Saudi Arabia plays a leading role in the oil markets, therefore many countries, including the US, are interested in their investments.
The Persian Gulf countries took the side of Riyadh. Foreign Minister of the United Arab Emirates Anwar Gargash tweeted that the media "are conducting a fierce campaign."
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